Life's a Witch and then You Die
by AdventureLucky7
Summary: What happens when Rynn Cormel pushes Rachel to start searching for answers, and she discovers more than she expected? Ivy/Rachel, Rachel/Ivy, Ravy
1. Chapter 1

_Fandom:_ The Hollows  
_Pairing:_ Ivy/Rachel (Seriously, I will get there. It's just going to take some time)  
_Rating_: M for now I think…  
_Spoilers_: This is takes pieces of the story up to White Witch, Black Curse. Don't ask me what happened to Pierce. I don't like him, but he may pop up later somewhere.

_Disclaimer_: The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story. I may have stolen a little Shakespeare too…

I am a dead witch.

Rynn Cormel is stupendously, outrageously, black eyes all the way kind of angry at me right now. You would think a species that has the ability to rise from the dead, and exist for centuries, would be able to drum up some patience when it comes to unknown frontiers of magic.

That would be a no.

It has been months since that night in the underground tunnels, my aura tattered and fragile. I nearly fried every neuron in my brain trying to funnel ley energy in that state, but when Ivy touched me her aura covered mine. As long as she held me I was protected, and I finished Kisten's memorial for us both.

In Rynn's defense he finds the whole episode very touching, or at least he pretends to, the whole not having a soul thing really kills the ability to empathize. The problem is that I haven't really made any progress in the last 6 months. I have been avoiding discussing the situation entirely with Ivy, because that's what I do with big emotional dilemmas. I avoid them until fate, or circumstances, force my hand and I am stuck making a gut decision. Planning and forethought are Ivy's forte, that's why the vamp has a color coded and alphabetized list for grocery shopping. Of course the one person light years ahead of me in the emotional dilemma avoidance category would be my roommate. Did I mention we haven't discussed the night in the tunnels, at all?

It isn't like I haven't been trying to find the answer on my own either. After Ivy busted me out of the hospital, Rynn pulled the scary dead vamp routine on me to remind me of why he continued to protect my witchy butt. Since then I have spent every 24 hours in the ever after trying to get my hands on demon knowledge related to vampires. At times I hid vampire books in the tomb of some arcane spell books I was supposed to be perusing, and I felt like a 16 year old boy trying to hide a dirty magazine.

What I quickly discovered is that a.) Demon books don't cover much about vampires b.) The extent of the details they cover could be found in a human dictionary. My theory is vampires cannot handle ley energy very well, hence demons haven't been interested in them as familiars. No interest means no demon research.

This brings me back to the fact I am a dead witch, because Rynn Cormel is coming to dinner. Not a suck my blood, make me a shadow, kind of a dinner. More like polite death threats, disguised as protection reminders, over homemade pizza kind of dinner. If I am lucky we won't tail spin into me freaking out and every vamp in my church pulling an aura.

My lungs expanded with a deep breath and I slowly began to thump my head against the kitchen counter as I let it out. Seriously, go ahead and erect my tombstone in the garden please. Tell the pixies I want dandelions, and I will them my desk as a permanent winter home.

I need a plan I thought as I headed to the garden, and I knew just the right Pixie sounding board.

"Jenks!" I called as I neared his stump, "Jenks, where are you? Rynn is coming to dinner tonight and I am already freaking out!"

Okay so great planning generally begins with freaking out…right?

"Tink's titties Rachel" Jenks said as he landed on my earring, "How in the turn did you manage to invite Ivy's Master Vamp to dinner?"

"Not my idea," and I tried to wipe the scowl off my face. I had sent Ivy off to grocery shop, and wasn't sure when she would return. The last thing I needed was an irate vampire who felt I had slighted her Master in some way, especially when she was crushing on him. I felt my scowl deepen, not that I was jealous. I just don't understand how you could crush someone who is devoid of any caring emotion. My mind flashed to page 73 of the vampire dating guide and I felt the tips of my ears start to burn.

"Did you talk to Al?" Jenks prompted.

"Al? I don't have any information to sell, and questions not related to my training have a cost." I said, praying he wasn't paying attention to my ears.

"What about the whole vamps eating people's aura thing?" he said bouncing on my earring, continuing, "That sounds like something that isn't common knowledge."

"Jenks, what happens when a demon uses that knowledge? That's going to be a pretty easy trace right back to me. I am steering away from pissing off the vampires." Besides, deep down in my gut that felt like a betrayal of Ivy's trust. She hadn't asked me to keep it a secret, but if it leaked to the world at large vampires would find themselves with a major PR problem.

"You know what the root of the problem is Jenks? I don't know enough about vampires. I mean, what does an aura look like when a vampire binds someone? Does it look different if the bound person is a living vamp versus a human? I have not a freaking clue." I began to pace across the garden. Jenks sat on my earring and started to hum a trivia game show theme song.

"The problem with not understanding vampires and auras is that I can't begin to separate what is going on with Ivy and me versus what's normal when a vampire takes blood" I thought aloud.

I continued to pace, "I have a few options. 1.) I ask Rynn and hope to Turn he has vampire books in his library that can help me. 2.) I continue to dig through the demon library and pray Al doesn't figure out what I am doing, or 3.)…" My eyes got big and I groaned, Ivy and Jenks were going to h-a-a-a-ate option 3. There is only other person with the kind of library I need, who has enough interest in vampires.

"What's option number 3?" Jenks asked as he buzzed off my earring. He took one look at my face and began to talk faster than if he was on a honey high, "NoNoNoNoNo, you are not going to Trent Kalamack! That man has always despised you and now, even worse, you scare the shit out of him! That is a badbadbadbadbad option Rache."

I watched the little pixie dart from side to side, obviously distressed, red pixie dust began to fly from his wings as he started to get angry. "Tink's slutty panties Rachel! Ivy is going to be angrier than a fairie with hemorrhoids."

Damn. I hate when Ivy gets worried, she gets this worry line on her forehead, and her instincts become even harder to control. I sighed, "Jenks, we are just brainstorming right now. There is always a chance Rynn will have what I need, I am just thinking ahead."

I cleared my throat as I sat down on an outdoor bench, "Just in case, what kind of bribery do you think we are talking to help break the news to Ivy?" Jenks landed on the back of the bench and tapped his chin as he thought.

"For the record Rache, this is a terrible, awful idea." He paused a moment and considered my question before he answered, "However, we are only talking hypothetical bribes because we are still brainstorming, right?" I nodded my affirmative.

Jenks continued, "Then we are talking at the very least some high quality baked goods, possibly cupcakes with homemade butter cream frosting, and definitely chocolate." I nodded, that I could do. Hell, I would throw in some of that double-chocolate monkey ice cream she is always eating.

Jenks put his hands on his hips in his Peter Pan pose, "And, you are going to have to let her organize your spices." At that I let out an overly dramatic groan for Jenk's amusement. Honestly though, I hate when Ivy organizes my spices. The vampire seems to have some sort of system that is neither alphabetical, nor by expiration date. I have a feeling it has to do with her vampire sense of smell, but I can't ever find anything I want. I weighed my options, and quickly decided hunting for herbs was a more than fair price to pay.

"Jenks," I warned, "don't say anything to Ivy until I know for sure. The truth is I may not have a choice, I have to able to separate out normal vamp behavior from mine and Ivy's relationship. If I can't do that I won't be able to figure out how to re-create it, and I know that's the key to saving her soul."

"Thank the turn above; you are finally admitting that you and Ivy are in a relationship!" Jenks began what I can only describe as a Pixie victory dance, complete with the cabbage patch.

My jaw dropped, "No! Ivy and I had this conversation. We have a platonic relationship. Dammit Pixie, I am a straight woman! I like men!"

Jenks buzzed back to my face, hugged my nose, "Then why have we spent the last 20 minutes on how to break the news to Ivy in the gentlest way possible that you are going to risk life and limb to save her soul?" and then in a sing song voice, "The lady doth protest too much, methinks." Then he gave me the biggest Pixie shit eating grin I have ever seen, a quick salute and buzzed off into the garden. In his wake he left a stunned witch doing an excellent impression of a carp.

Fucking Pixie.

I could tell Ivy without bribing her. It's just that she is impossible to live with when she's agitated. A little voice inside my head snickered at that. Fine! If I am being totally honest I loath the thought of seeing that worry line on Ivy's forehead. It's a cute line, I just hate being the cause of it.

And where in the hell did Jenks learn to quote Hamlet?


	2. Chapter 2

_Fandom:_ The Hollows  
_Pairing:_ Ivy/Rachel (Seriously, I will get there. It's just going to take some time)  
_Rating_: M for now I think…  
_Spoilers_: This is takes pieces of the story up to White Witch, Black Curse. Don't ask me what happened to Pierce. I don't like him, but he may pop up later somewhere.

_Disclaimer_: The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story.

_Beta Reader?: _If anyone is interested in correcting grammar, or reigning in my rampant commas, feel free to send me a note.

It was almost show time, and I briefly considered if getting drunk would be worth the migraine in the morning and the death glares from Ivy over dinner. Survey says, probably not. Looking out the kitchen window I took a deep breath and began to sooth myself with a mental rundown of my nearly finished to-do list.

Pizza sauce: Finished this morning, flavors still blending.

Pizza dough: Complete, waiting for dinner guests.

Toppings: Sliced and diced and ready to go

Salad: Ready for tossing

Dessert: Butterscotch pudding cake, cooling in fridge

Plan to save Ivy's soul: pending

Damn. Do I really consider making lists a soothing activity? Ivy is seriously starting to rub off on me.

The doorbell rang, I put on my apron, and sent a prayer to whomever was listening. A blur of motion caught my attention, and I assumed Ivy was going to answer the door. It was time to play hostess to the undead.

Rynn and Ivy entered through the kitchen door; Ivy was on his arm whispering in his ear. I nodded to Rynn in greeting and turned to focus on the pizza dough. While I was wondering how long Ivy was going to ogle Rynn, I took the already risen dough from the bowl in front of me. Some people stretch the dough to get the round shape, but I learned from the best, Kisten had taught me to toss pizza.

It only took a few minutes but I had the dough in two, small, floppy circles. This is the part that separates the pizza amateurs from the masters I grinned to myself. _Showoff_ the voice inside my head chuckled. Maybe I was, but this was my kitchen. When I decided to feed people/pixies/vampires/whatever, I did it with class.

I centered my feet a little ways away from the counter and began to toss, losing myself in the enjoyment of the movement. Pizza throwing looks more complicated than it really is; it's all in the twist of your hands and torso. Bis whistled from somewhere behind me. Normally Bis would be outside guarding the church but I had promised to let him see me toss. My smile getting bigger I decided to show off a little more Kisten's tutelage. I had spent a few dates in the kitchen learning to toss dough, having fun and covering myself in flour. It felt right being able to remember happy moments.

Taking a breath I whistled to back to Bis to let him know I was about to really start the fun. Spinning the dough faster and faster I flipped it across the back of my shoulders and let it roll down my left arm into my hand. Without hesitating I flipped it over my right shoulder and caught it with my right hand. Bringing it back to the front I turned around and began to spin it vertically in front of my body. Once it was horizontal again I threw it into the air several times, each time a few feet higher until it was at least four to six feet in the air. I repeated each of these moves a few more times in a different pattern. When the dough was ready I flipped it onto the cornmeal dusted pizza paddle.

My attention was jerked to Rynn and Ivy when Rynn started clapping enthusiastically. I gave him my performer's smile and took a grand bow as if I were on stage. When I glanced at Ivy I saw her eyes were the size of dinner plates, and her mouth slightly open. This night was starting off great; I can't help it if I take delight in surprising my roommate.

I took considerably less time tossing the second pizza crust and in about ten minutes both were in the oven baking merrily away. Removing the apron, I grabbed a glass of water and sat down at the kitchen table away from both Rynn and Ivy. Pizza tossing was fun, but it did make me break into a sweat. No reason to tempt fate, yet.

Rynn was smiling broadly, "Rachel I had absolutely no idea that you were able to do that. Amazing! How did I know that eating dinner with you would be a treat?"

Laughing easily I said, "Well the first fifty or so times I tried it the pizza ended up on the ceiling, the floor, or whomever was standing closest." Damn. That vampire is undead and I shouldn't be pulled in by his charms. I just couldn't help it; Rynn had the natural knack for making a person feel at ease.

A glance at the ceiling told me Bis had headed back outside and I made a mental note to save him some pizza. Do gargoyles eat pizza?

My attention went back to the table when Ivy started tossing the salad and dividing it on to plates. "Showoff" she muttered, but she was smiling when she handed me my salad. Biting into a tomato I gave her a smug, lopsided grin. What can I say? I have skills woman. _Dirty_ snickered the internal voice and I started coughing on the tomato. Eyes watering I waved Ivy off, where in the turn had that come from?

Ivy and Rynn looked at me with concern, "Wrong pipe." I said and we continued small talk while I tried not to make a fool out of myself again. When was Rynn going to get to the point of this dinner meeting: main course or dessert? I was kind of hedging towards after dessert coffee, which seemed like a polite time.

"So Rachel, I have had this conversation already with Ivy. I want your point of view from the night in the tunnels." Rynn dropped into my musing suddenly, and I mentally winced. This is why I am not a betting witch, my luck sucks.

"I imagine I don't have much to add that Ivy hasn't already told you." I said, but seeing Ivy's frown, I added quickly, "but I imagine a difference in point of view might be interesting."

Rynn smiled at the non-verbal exchange, and leaned back in his chair with his fingertips steepled. Unclenching my jaw at the fact that Rynn was laughing at us, I walked him through exactly what happened the night in the tunnels. I wasn't sure what I could add, but when I finished Rynn looked thoughtful, Ivy looked like she wanted to run.

After a few moments, Rynn leaned forward, "I have never heard of such a thing happening to a vampire. What do you think it means?" Right, like I am the vampire expert Rynn. I forced myself not to roll my eyes, Ivy would hit me upside the head with the nearest spell pot.

Instead I admitted softly, "I don't know." Rynn frowned at that, which launched me into my next train of thought, "Rynn, I am actually glad you came over dinner," _lie, lie, lie _I thought internally, "because I need information on vampires. I need to separate what is normal, and what makes Ivy and me different."

At that Rynn relaxed, and smiled, "The vampire dating guide not enough information for you Rachel?" My face turned white one moment, and then I felt the tips of my ears start to burn, the blush extending to my face. Clearing my throat, and ignoring the blush, I looked at Rynn and stated firmly, "Not that kind of information Rynn. I need to better understand auras, and bindings. Are there any examples of witches and vampires you could tell me about? The more I can separate out as normal, the better I will understand what is going on."

"Why bindings?" Ivy asked jerking my attention away from Rynn. Ivy had barely spoken all night, and now she wants to help? _Yes, why bindings?_ My internal voice asked laughing at me.

Sighing, I answered, "Bindings involve merging of auras and/or souls from what I understand. I just don't know how similar it is to what happens to our auras."

"What does your demon say?" Rynn asked pointedly. Dodging the question as best I could, "I have consulted every demon text I can get my hands on, and there isn't enough detail to be useful."

The oven dinged, the pizza was ready, and the first round was over. No auras pulled, no fangs shown, so far, so good.

I pulled out the pizza and busied myself with pouring wine while it cooled. Cutting the pies into slices I served Ivy, Rynn, and myself. I helped myself to a big bite, a damn fine piece of pizza if I do say so myself.

"You avoided my question." Rynn stated calmly but his voice has lost a little of its warmth. I swallowed the bite I was working on, and wiped my mouth.

"I still have a demon mark on my wrist, the one on my foot was just removed a few weeks ago when conditions of an agreement Al and I made were completed." I looked at Ivy who was staring at her pizza, and I whispered, "I will add more demon marks to my body if that's the only way. Dealing with demons comes with a high price though, and if I make the wrong deal, if I slip just a little, I lose my soul and Ivy's in the process." Ivy looked up at me, making eye contact, and I finished, "I keep my promises, and I swore to you Rynn that I would find a way."

Ivy jerked at that and opened her mouth, "Rach—"

At that moment though I felt a pull on the ley line in the garden and I waved my hand at Ivy cutting her off and looking wildly in every direction. Something was wrong, who was tapping my line? At the smell of Brimston, I yelled, "_Rhombus!"_ circling myself and the vampires.

There was a popping sound, like a giant suction cup letting loose. Smoke and the smell of Brimstone wafted in every direction making it impossible to see. When the smoke cleared I froze. On the floor of my kitchen was an unconscious, bleeding Al.


	3. Chapter 3

_Fandom:_ The Hollows  
_Pairing:_ Ivy/Rachel (Seriously, I will get there. It's just going to take some time)  
_Rating_: M for now I think…  
_Spoilers_: This is takes pieces of the story up to White Witch, Black Curse. Don't ask me what happened to Pierce. I don't like him, but he may pop up later somewhere.

_Disclaimer_: The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story.

_Beta Reader?: _If anyone is interested in correcting grammar, or reigning in my rampant commas, feel free to send me a note.

.

Why can't I ever have normal dinner parties?

Instinct kicked in fast though, I broke the circle, kneeled next to Al, and whispered, "_Rhombus_." This time the demon and I were in the circle, the vampires on the outside. There are several things that will set off vampire instincts, lucky me that three of the big four were in my kitchen: fear, demons, and blood. The fourth button to push is sex, but unless Rynn started a striptease on the island counter I figured we were safe.

"Raaaaaaachel," Ivy growled, her eyes were completely black. Not good. Ivy had vamped out and a quick glance at Rynn told me he wanted a rematch.

I shook my head at Ivy and began taking stock of Al's injuries. It looked like a concussion; he had a huge knot on the side of his head and several shallow lacerations on his abdomen. These were injuries I could deal with, now the only problem were the two supremely angry vampires standing between me and my first aid kit.

Glancing up I watched Ivy pacing in front of my circle, and Rynn at the back of the kitchen. Clearing my throat I said, "Al is going to be fine, I just need my first aid kit." Ivy continued to pace like a caged thing, and her intensity was starting to make me nervous.

"Ivy," Rynn said, "please get Rachel's first aid kit. Come back when you have calmed, you are going to etch a hole in the floor." Ivy blushed a bit and stalked out of the room, Rynn was right though, and I liked the kitchen floor sans hole.

Rynn broke the silence once Ivy had left," Witch, tell me why I shouldn't kill the demon the moment you lower your protection." Damn good question I thought. Buying myself time to think I ripped the remainder of Al's shirt off, wadded it up and pressed it to his abdomen to help stop the bleeding.

I answered slowly, "Al is my demon teacher, and the more I learn from him the better chance I have of finding the answer you are looking for." I glanced at the Master Vamp who was listening intently and continued, "More importantly Al acts a buffer between me and the rest of the demon population in the ever-after. Without him there is at least one demon I know of that will come looking for me, and she is…unstable" I shuddered at the memory of Newt in the church.

Ivy walked into the kitchen with my first aid kit, and held it up in question in front of my protective circle. I raised my eyebrows at Rynn. Al could wait until sunrise and I could hold my circle long enough for him to be dragged back to the ever-after. Sure he wasn't in the best shape to travel the lines, but injured was better than dead.

Rynn walked over to stand in front of my circle and knelt down to my level. He answered my unspoken question, "Rachel, you have my word that neither I nor any member of my camarilla will harm your demon teacher this night." I glanced at Ivy for confirmation, and she nodded once to agree.

Let the games begin.

I broke the circle and took the first aid kit from Ivy. There wasn't much I could do about the head wound, it wasn't bleeding. The lacerations though needed to be cleaned and stitched up.

When I finished the last stitch, and the bandaging of Al's torso, Ivy handed me an icepack. Removing my gloves I placed the ice pack on the demon's head, and stood up stretching.

I wasn't sure how long Al would be out, and there was the chance whoever had attacked him was coming to the church next. At the moment, however, I had two vampires that needed serious calming, and I had to deal with that immediate danger.

Taking stock of the situation I realized the first step was cleaning myself up, grabbing the discarded gloves and Al's bloody shirt I headed to the bathroom. The bloody clothes I had been wearing went into the washer, and everything else incinerated in the bathroom trash can with a word Ceri had given me. Second step was the fastest shower in recorded history, followed by a new perfume Ivy had bought me. I was about to try something certifiably crazy and I didn't need my scent messing things up.

Heading back to the kitchen, I began to center myself with a few deep breaths. Stopping several feet behind Ivy, who was standing dangerously close to Al, I focused all of my attention on my roommate. "Ivy," I said, and it looked like my roommate didn't even hear me she was staring at Al so intently. "Iiiiiiivy," I said softly again. Ivy closed her eyes the second time I said her name and turned her head just a fraction towards me.

"Ivy." I said again, and I extended my right hand towards my best friend, fingers parted, my hand relaxed and non-threatening. Standing still I watched Ivy turn completely towards me, eyes still closed, her nostrils flaring just a bit. When Ivy's eyes opened again they were still black, but I could tell the tension around her eyes was easing a bit.

Tilting her head, Ivy regarded me for a moment and then began to walk to my way. I really should say glide, when Ivy vamped out it was like watching a jungle cat, every movement was graceful. Ivy stopped just a few feet away from my hand, and reached her left hand until fingertips were just a scant distance from mine. It was an invitation, even vamped out Ivy was careful about touch, and she was asking me to make the next move.

I closed the difference between our fingertips until they were touching and I closed my eyes. Narrowing my attention again, I focused all my awareness until the only sensation I registered was the one of our fingertips touching. _Safe, you are safe_ I thought, _I've got you Ivy._ There was a gentle tugging sensation on my consciousness, and I opened my eyes, watching our auras with my second site while I continued the recording in my head. _Safe, you are safe. I've got you Ivy. _My aura began to stretch until it was able to cradle Ivy's. It wasn't quite the melding of our auras I had witnessed before; it was something far gentler. Ivy whimpered and then melted into my arms, our fingers now intertwined.

Damn Ivy smells good I thought, and I knew that I was going to have to take another shower soon to get rid of our mingling scents. Ivy's right arm tightened around my waist in response to my unspoken thought, and I rested my head on her shoulder. Utter contentment I thought as I inhaled Ivy's scent again, and felt her relax a little more.

"Well my itchy witch, that is such a beautiful display that I think I am going to have to vomit." Al's mocking voice interrupted my moment of bliss.

Ivy sprung out my arms at the sound of Al's voice, her beautiful eyes cinnamon, but with a stunned looked on her face. With her hand on her mouth she whirled and darted to her room. Well, that had gone well. Looking at the doorframe Ivy had disappeared through, I knew we had another talk in our future. I wasn't sure what in the turn had just happened to our auras, and I didn't even want to begin to analyze my response to Ivy's touch. Vamp pheromones, maybe? _Nice try, she wasn't even pumping an out pheromones _my internal voice noted. Right, so not ready to deal with that so I turned my attention to the immediate concern, and looked over at Al.

Looking at Al for a moment, he was now sporting a smug grin, I rolled my eyes and said, "Shut it demon. Do you want to tell me what happened that I am lucky enough to be graced with you unexpected presence?"

Al widened his eyes in false innocence, and asked "Does a teacher truly need a reason to check up on his star pupil?"

Fatigue was starting to set in, I was about at my limits. I had been running high on adrenaline from conversation with a Master Vampire, having my demon teacher drop in looking half dead, protecting said demon teacher, and then playing vampire whisperer.

I snapped at Al, "Enough! You interrupted my dinner with my roommate and her Master Vampire. I want to know who attacked you and if they are going to be knocking at my door!"

Al's eyes widened at my outburst, and mouthed the word Master Vamp at me. Sighing I shifted my weight so he could see Rynn Cormel, who was at that point lounging in a chair with his hands folded neatly. Al put his head down, closed his eyes, and pinched his nose. It was a very human like action, and I think I could actually hear him think the words, oh shit.

Al coughed, and answered my question, his mocking tone of voice gone, "No one is going to show up at your door, it was simply a deal that went bad. I answered a summons for a client that I have been working with for about three years. Unfortunately I didn't face him with my usual collection of demon curses, and he has gotten…creative in the time that you had my summoning name."

Something wasn't right though, I could sense it. Shifting to my second site I looked at Al's aura, it was cracked for lack of a better term, and…flaking? This was bad, and I asked the demon warily "What in the turn happened to your aura? It looks like it's peeling from a bad sunburn."

Al opened his eyes, and sighed, "Someone tried to make me his familiar, and he used a curse I am not familiar with. The result was an explosion, and somewhere during the confusion I transported here." I felt dread pooling at the bottom of my stomach, Al never answers my questions this easily unless he wants something in return. I hoped it was the head injury speaking.

I realized Ivy had returned to the kitchen when she asked from behind me, "Did it work, are you a familiar?" He voice sounded strained, and I couldn't tell if it was because of our mingled scents or the thought that the witch would be able to track Al to us if he had indeed made the demon his familiar. How in the turn had a witch almost made a demon a familiar anyway? I thought I was the only one this side of the lines that could do something like that.

Al turned his head smiling in Ivy's direction and answered, "No baby vamp, I am not tethered to that ass wipe of a soon to be dead witch." Ivy eyes widened at the baby vamp comment and I winced.

"Aaaaaaal," I growled, "let's play nicely with the vampires in the kitchen and not provoke them, okay?"

Al put a hand to his head to check the damage and said, "Oh Rachel Mariana Morgan, if your vampires were going to kill they would have already done it. My guess is that they have already promised you my safety until sunrise."

Rynn stood for the first time since Al had woken up and walked over to the demon on the floor. Smilingly he showed his canines in a way that made me swallow hard. Speaking directly to the Al, Rynn said, "Demon, I promised no harm would come from my camarilla tonight. I did not promise Ms. Morgan I would not bind you to me."

Al looked at the vampire hovering a few feet from him, smiled and said in a mocking tone, "Try it."

"_Rhombus!"_ I instinctively threw a protective circle around myself and Al as soon as the words left his mouth. Checking I saw Rynn was unhurt, though his eyes were black again and he was growling. Shit. I turned back to Al and nearly screamed in frustration, "What in the turn are you thinking!" At my outburst Al started laughing, which turned into a wheeze when his stitches pulled, and then heavy panting while he waited for the pain to pass.

Opening his eyes again he put on a lopsided, pained smile, "What's wrong my itchy witch? Didn't any of those books in the library tell you vampires can't bind demons to them like they do humans and living vampires?"


	4. Chapter 4

_**Title:**__ Life's a Witch and then you Die  
__**Author:**__ AdventureLucky7  
__**Fandom:**__ The Hollows  
__**Pairing:**__ Rachel/Ivy (Seriously I will get there, it's just going to take a bit…)  
__**Rating:**__ Mature, for language so far  
__**Disclaimer:**_ _The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story. _

_**Summary: **__What happens when Rynn Cormel forces Rachel to find answers, and she discovers answers to questions she wasn't even asking? Rachel/Ivy, Ivy/Rachel, Ravy_

There was absolute silence after Al's question.

Looking outside my circle I knew that the stunned expression Ivy was wearing mirrored my own. Stunned disbelief quickly turned to rage.

Al could sense my anger, and he hummed in pleasure at the chaos he created. What Al continues to forget, however, is he isn't the only one who knows how to play games.

Smiling to myself, I felt my anger dissipate almost immediately, and Al's eyes widened when he saw the corners of my mouth turn upward. "Let's talk payment Al." Sitting cross-legged in my protective circle, I began to tick the points off on fingers, "1.) You dropped into my kitchen unannounced trying to hide from a witch. 2.) I stitched you up, and bandaged your wounds. 3.) I negotiated with the reigning Master Vampire of Cincy for your safety 4.) I now face serious danger if black witch who tried to bind you comes here looking for you." At each point I made, Al's features flushed a little more.

"Well my itchy witch, you are correct, I will remove your demon mark and call us even." Al reached for my wristed but I pulled away before he could get a grip.

Wagging a finger in his direction I tsked, "Now Al, that is not nearly payment enough, I received this mark for a ride through the lines. Surely saving your demon butt is worth more than that.."

Tapping my chin in thought, I made my counter negotiation, "1.) You will remove the mark off my wrist 2.) No more hiding texts from me, I assume that's how you know so much about vampires 3.) You will answer any vampire questions I have beginning tonight. Those you don't know you will either find the answer to, or figure out another source I can consult and 4.) I want to know the name of the witch that attacked you."

Al smiled at my proposal, negotiations were really his element, and I knew it. "Should I be upset you are getting so much better at negotiating with demons?" He asked.

I shrugged at Al's question, "You could be upset, or accept that I am learning from the best. Either way, you have not answered my proposal." Gag me, but why not throw out a little flattery that was very much based in truth.

Resting his hands on torso, just shy of his wounds, Al answered, "Rachel Mariana Morgan, I will accept removing your mark, and I will give you the name of the witch who attacked me."

"I accept." I heard myself say, and I saw Al turn smug. Reaching for my hand, Al closed his fingers around my wrist, stroked his thumb over my mark and it disappeared.

Sighing in relief, I rubbed my wrist and cocked my head at Al waiting.

"Hortence Lenora Granville."

My first thought? What a horrible name, poor witch must have been shoved into a lot of lockers. Tucking the name into the back of my memory I turned my focus back to Al.

Time to finish this, "Al, let's talk about the other half of my proposal. I need to know more about vampires, and you have access to the demon texts I need."

"Ah, well, I finally have something the witch wants?" Al looked smug again, that expression was getting old. "Do tell me Rachel Mariana Morgan, what would you like to exchange? I already have a familiar, but you would be a far better…companion"

Al was purposely being lecherous at this point; his strategy was an old one. Always try to make the other negotiator emotional, make them mad, then they won't see the trap before they step into it. Ivy snarled somewhere behind me, but I ignored her, and the rising fear in my gut that negotiating with demons always causes.

"How about in return for meeting my other two requests, I won't lower my protective circle and let Rynn test out his ability to bind you?" I asked.

Al realized his mistake too late, maybe I should be tired of being underestimated but mostly I was grateful. Trying to bluff Al said ,"Like I said my dear itchy witch, vampires cannot bind demons as they do humans and living vampires."

"Well my dear demon teacher," purposely mimicking his choice of words, "like I said, I am learning from the best. While you can't lie, my guess is that you aren't giving me the whole truth either. So I really don't have much to lose if I take down my circle, Rynn has given his word not to harm you."

Glancing over my shoulder at Rynn Cormel I saw him smilingly in a way that reminded me of Ivy. Predatory, hungry, and amused.

Calling to Rynn, I asked, "What do you think Mr. Cormel? Would it be worth a try?"

"Ms. Morgan, since it's all in the name of continued research then I would be willing to lend my services." Rynn helpfully supplied his head bowing slightly.

If Al's eyes could have burned a hole into my skull, he would have done it. As it was, I knew I had him, his wording was too precise. Al was hiding something, and I would bet money it had to do with vampires binding demons.

Al ground out his next words as if each caused him physical pain, "Agree to leave me in a protective circle so I can sleep until the sun rises, and I will give you access to every demon text on vampires I can find. I will also answer any questions that I can, those I cannot answer, I will direct you to another source to continue your search."

"When can I begin asking questions?" I asked, hoping feverishly I hadn't forgotten something vital in this agreement.

"This Saturday, two days from now when we meet for our lessons." Al growled.

"Agreed." I said simply.

A noise behind me caused me to turn, and I saw Rynn putting on his gloves and hat, the earlier sound had been him putting his coat on. "Excellent progress Rachel, I am glad to see our night was so productive." Smilingly, he bowed, Ivy placed her hand in the crook of his arm to escort him out. When they reached kitchen door, Rynn paused and turned back to me, "and dinner was excellent as well." His comment made me smile, when he left I frowned, I was not supposed to like the dead vamp damnit. Why won't common sense kick in?

"My itchy witch you play with some of the most dangerous forces this side of the line, it really is quite amazing you aren't dead." Al said thoughtfully. Sighing I turned back to the demon, I was tired of being in the circle and dawn was still a few hours away. Grabbing a knife out of my boot, I sliced my thumb and used it to draw a circle around Al. When I activated the circle again, only the demon remained inside.

"Sleep well Al, you will be safe until sunrise." I said rising, and I headed back to the bathroom for my second shower of the night.

I smelled the coffee before I reached the kitchen, and I knew Ivy intended to stay up and keep watch with me until sunrise. I didn't think Hortence would be paying us a visit tonight, but there was no reason to take any chances.

Ivy was at her computer, and I headed directly to the coffee maker and filled two cups. I put one cup near the computer and sipped mine thinking. It really had been a long night, and based on the tenseness of Ivy's shoulders she thought so too. I began to plot, why the hell not, we had a few hours and we needed a distraction. _You two need to talk_ said the voice in my head. That was true too, but it was going to be a long talk, and we were both at the end of our emotional stamina.

Going to the fridge, a plan began to emerge, and I grinned to myself. I took out the butterscotch putting pie, some whipped cream, and I knew had some chocolate shavings somewhere. Digging through my spice cabinet, again, I could hear Ivy's typing stop.

In a somewhat amused, and annoyed tone, "Rachel, if you would let me organize your spice cabinet it wouldn't take so long to find what you're looking for." _No_, I thought, _it would take me four times longer_. I pictured that worry line on Ivy's forehead, dang I am a sucker.

Glancing back at Ivy I gave in, "All right, I leave it in your capable hands for organization, but not until after you have slept. Right now we have pie to eat." About a second later I found the chocolate shavings and we were in business.

I cut two pieces of pie, sprayed a little whip cream on both, and chocolate shavings on top for good measure. After the first bite of pie, Ivy laughed and then said in a sultry tone, "Why Jane, I do believe this is butterscotch, you know how allergic I am to butterscotch."

Feigning surprise, I put the palm of my left hand to my heart, and the back of my right hand to my forehead in an excellent feinting heroine pose, "Alexia, I do hope you will forgive me, how could I forget?" And then, in a motion disguised as dropping my hand to my spoon, I grabbed the whipped cream can and sprayed Ivy.

I couldn't actually believe that Ivy had fell for it, she was so shocked that she sat in her seat blinking for a few moments. Taking advantage, I blew the top of the whipped cream can like it was a smoking revolver, and put it on the table. "See Alexia? Not a problem, there is plenty of whipped cream for you to eat."

Ivy leaned back in her chair and with one finger she scooped up whip cream covering her chin. Studying it for a moment, she put the finger in her mouth and, before my eyes could even register it, her piece of pie hit me square in the face.

The pie crust slid down my cheek and landed in my lap. "So that's how it's going to be vamp?" I asked, shaking my head slowly.

Ivy grinned showing the tips of her canines. It honestly would have been scary if that whip cream blob hadn't chosen that moment to fall off her nose onto the counter. Ignoring the whipped cream, Ivy cocked an eyebrow at me and said "If you can't stand the heat witch…" but I interrupted her before she could finish when I threw a handful of pie and ducked behind the kitchen island.

Our duel quickly escalated to an all out food fight when the Pixie children began to swarm the kitchen. They quickly chose sides, and Ivy slowed her reaction time to make it a fair fight. At some point the pizza was commandeered for ammunition purposes, and the kitchen was now covered in a mixture of butterscotch and pizza sauce. About fifteen minutes after the fight had started I was lying on the floor on my back, laughing so hard I was crying.

Ivy stood at my feet trying to be menacing, "Do you surrender to our superior forces?" she asked, shoulders quaking with repressed laughter. Jenks buzzed by, butterscotch pudding smeared under on eye. "Disney's whore Rachel! This pie tastes amazing!" It was then I realized he was slurring his words a bit. Looking around I realized that Jenks, and all forty seven of his Pixie children, were on a sugar high from the pie they had been eating during the fight.

Forty seven Pixie children on a sugar high? By the turn, we didn't want them in the kitchen, my brain couldn't even begin to fathom the resulting chaos. Ivy came to the same conclusion, and reacted more quickly then I could. Throwing open the kitchen door she hollered to the Pixie hoard, "Last one out has to stay and help us clean up the kitchen!"

The kitchen emptied before I could blink.

I sat up and leaned against the nearest kitchen cabinet, and started laughing all over again. How were we going to get the pudding off the ceiling? Hands on her hips Ivy turned to me with one eyebrow raised, and nearly echoed my thoughts when she asked, "Any ideas on how to clean up this mess?"

Still chuckling I stood up, extremely grateful I had the forethought earlier to spell the circle enclosing Al with a sound dampening charm. Living with Pixie children had made me especially adept at that particular charm.

Passing Ivy I stopped to pick a piece of pepperoni from behind her ear. Handing it to her I said, "Let's start with showers and then worry about cleaning the kitchen. You first, I will guard Al while you get cleaned up."

Ivy headed to her room, her steps much lighter than before. Some part of me warmed at that, knowing that even with a sleeping demon in our kitchen we could laugh. It was moments like this that made the chaos we lived in bearable.

My mind went back to earlier in the night when we held one another, and my aura cradled Ivy's. Biting my lip I realized that I craved holding Ivy like that again, and my gut clenched in panic. Ivy and I had an agreement; I had made it clear that I was a very straight woman. My mind began swirling with all kinds of possibilities and what ifs. What if I wasn't completely straight, but what if I changed my mind, what if Ivy thought I saw her as an experiment? That would destroy our friendship and both of us.

_What in the turn am I going to do?_ I thought morosely. Putting a hand to my now queasy stomach, I knew I had to let go of all the dark thoughts that were teasing with the edges of arousal. The food fight had calmed Ivy, I didn't need my hormones messing up the balance, and I desperately needed to time to think. Looking at Al, I knew I needed answers too.

Jenks buzzed in, his sugar high already gone, Pixie metabolisms are an amazing thing. "Jenks, could you stand watch? I want a shower to get the pudding out of my ears." Ivy's shower had just turned off, and I needed to get cleaned up and calmed down before she came back to the kitchen.

"Of course Rache, and that food fight was more fun than fairy wedgies. I haven't seen Ivy laugh like that in weeks." I smiled at him, and turned to my bathroom for my third shower of the night.

Once I was clean, and gratefully pudding free, I headed back to the kitchen. Matalina was already directing all forty seven of her children, and one husband, to the task of scraping the ceiling clean. Waving at her, I picked up a bucket and took it to the sink to fill with soapy water.

When the bucket was full, I glanced up to see Ivy leaning on the doorframe to the kitchen, she was smiling and her cinnamon eyes warm with laughter. I threw her a sponge, and we started to work. The demon was still asleep, the Master Vamp was currently satisfied, and Ivy and I were okay.

All was right in the world.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Title:**__ Life's a Witch and then you Die  
__**Author:**__ AdventureLucky7  
__**Fandom:**__ The Hollows  
__**Pairing:**__ Rachel/Ivy (Seriously I will get there, it's just going to take a bit…)  
__**Rating:**__ Mature, for language so far  
__**Disclaimer:**_ _The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story. Finding Nemo belongs Disney, or Pixar, or however that works when they merged._

_**Summary: **__What happens when Rynn Cormel forces Rachel to find answers, and she discovers answers to questions she wasn't even asking? Rachel/Ivy, Ivy/Rachel, Ravy_

I heard the doorbell chime and I glanced at the clock, almost 7 o'clock. Damn.

Two months ago I had asked David about my alpha bitch responsibilities. When I had originally agreed to be David's alpha it was only for the insurance benefits. Later, when David had agreed to take the demon focus to save my life, and had unintentionally turned two of his girlfriends into Weres, things became more complicated. I found myself the alpha of a Were pack. I had not a clue what I could do to help two humans, turned Were, when I myself was a witch.

When I approached David, and asked about increasing my responsibilities, his smile reached to both his ears and he grabbed me in a bear (Were?) hug. So began a rather exhaustive tutoring session on Were history, instincts, and pack behavior. What I found out is that were packs act as a mixture of a wolf pack and big human family. From what David explained the ladies just needed time and acceptance from me, and judging from David's expression as he found a way to gently explain it to me, my absence from the pack had been felt. The guilt led to an impromptu suggestion of a girls' night out every two weeks. I may not be able to teach Serena and Kally anything about being a Were, but I could be a friend.

Our dinners had been awkward and stilted at first but as we got to know one another they warmed to dinner between friends. Personality wise the Weres were strikingly different. Kally had patience that could rival Ivy's, and was warm and personable enough to make people feel comfortable instantly. Serena was a tomboy, confident Were abilities, and impulsive; you had to spend some time with her though before she allowed you to see her disarmingly sweet side. I enjoyed spending time with both of them, and even with the impromptu demon visit last night, and lessons tomorrow, I had been determined not to cancel.

Looking at my reflection in the mirror I finished applying my lip gloss. Tonight was casual so I was wearing my favorite pair of dark wash jeans tucked into a pair of brown, leather riding boots Ivy had given me for Solstice. Finishing off my evening's ensemble was an emerald, silk blouse that enhanced my green eyes. I made my way to the door, stopping to grab my knife, and tucking it into my right boot.

Ivy was answering the front door as I was walked out my bedroom trying to roll my neck to get rid of a cramp. At sunrise this morning Al had disappeared back into the ever-after without a sound. I shooed Ivy off to sleep and cleaned up the blood that had made Al's protective circle. Falling into bed, I had gone into a comatose sleep, the night of adrenaline and pudding cleaning had completely worn me out. I had woken up with 45 minutes to get ready, and a crick in my neck.

"Rachel?" Ivy called, "Serena and Kally are here." Hearing me approach Serena and Kally turned to me, smiles on their faces. Both ladies were wearing jeans, Serena was sporting a black button down and Kally a baby blue blouse with a thick brown belt to accentuate here waist. They were both muscular, and athletic, and both had dark, curly hair, or at least they used to. Two weeks ago Serena cut her auburn curls down to a pixie cut, while Kally had declared her crazy and kept her locks past her shoulders. It made them infinitely easier to tell apart, David really did have a very specific type when it came to women.

Grabbing my purse, I grinned at Ivy, "We are off to dinner, try to stay out trouble tonight vamp."

Ivy snorted her disbelief at me and turned to the Weres, "Give me a call when it's time to bail the three of you out of jail." Both ladies laughed, I had a penchant for trouble and they knew it, David had told them all my stories.

"Jariath!" I called, and one of Jenk's sons buzzed in front of me, grinning. Jariath and I were sympathetic souls, mostly because were both T-R-O-U-B-L-E. "Jariath, Ivy just agreed to watch a movie with you guys tonight. I rented _Finding Nemo_, I know that's a favorite."

Ivy's eyes widened at that comment, we both hated _Finding Nemo_, when the seagulls start chanting, "Mine!" so do all the Pixie children, at a frequency sometimes so high the dog next door howls.

I made my escape, but not before I heard Ivy growl something about a dead witch. Opening the car door I saw both Kally and Serena laughing at the exchange.

"Let's go ladies!" I called.

Once we were all buckled in I headed to a restaurant that Glenn had suggested. Glenn had become my go to person for restaurant suggestions. I hadn't realized how many restaurants in Cincy were run by witches until I had been shunned. Tonight we were headed to an Asian Fusion restaurant, Glenn had raved about their Thai Curry.

Serena leaned through the opening between the front seats, "You know Alpha, it's okay to invite your partner with us to dinner, we don't mind."

"I would, but I think Ivy secretly loves watching Disney movies with the Pixie hoard. I would hate to cut into that time." I joked.

Serena's lips thinned a little bit, and I could tell she was debating her next remark, "Rachel, we don't want to make her jealous, we really don't mind if she joins us."

"Jealous?" I heard the confusion in my voice. "Why would Ivy be jealous about not coming to dinner?" Ivy and I usually had a separate girls' night out, though maybe the Weres were right, it had been awhile since we had hung out just the two of us. _Maybe then you would talk to one another about what happened in the kitchen _muttered the voice in head. I ignored the voice and focused on the Weres.

"Well," Kally said slowly, "if it were me, I might be irritated my partner keeps going out to dinner with her friends, and never bothers to invite me. Especially if it's just a casual dinner, we like Ivy, we don't mind."

Ever feel like you are missing something important in a conversation? Then I suddenly caught a clue, and came to a jerking halt at a stop sign that caught me by surprise.

Kally put a hand on the dash to keep herself from face planting, and Serena yelped when the seatbelt jerked her back to the seat. Looking at both them incredulously, I said, "Ivy is my business partner, not my lover." Neither Were made a comment about my voice going up an octave.

Rubbing her shoulder where the seatbelt had no doubt left a mark, Serena looked at me again, confusion furrowing her brow. "I thought…well, I mean…but she smells like your mate."

"Ivy smells like my mate?" I asked, and both Weres nodded at me. I sighed, "I know our scents mingle but we live together and that is nearly impossible to avoid."

A horn startled us out of conversation; the car behind me was tired of waiting. Waving my hand in apology, I turned left at the stop sign. Checking the directions to the restaurant, I saw Kally frown out of the corner of my eye.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

Kally turned to me, and cocked her head, "Your scents are mingled, but that's not what Serena means when she says Ivy smells like your mate." Did I really want to hear this I wondered?

Shit, does that mean Ivy can smell it too?

"The restaurant is coming up, keep an eye out." I told the Weres, my palms were beginning to sweat. _Can't run forever_ the voice in my head mocked.

"It's on the right," Serena said, and I pulled into the parking lot. Taking my car key off my ring I handed it to the valet. Kally linked her arm through mine on the right, and Serena on the left as we made our way to the restaurant. The second thing I learned about Weres is their need for physical touch among pack members. David explained that it's very different from humans or witches where usually touch in a social setting implies physical attraction. For Weres it's more about confirmation of the pack bond. This didn't stop the very human valet from leering at us as we made our way to the restaurant.

The hostess seated us at a window table as soon as we stepped inside the restaurant. Once drinks and appetizers were ordered, I placed my napkin in my lap, and jumped feet first "How in the turn does Ivy smell like my mate?"


	6. Chapter 6

_**Title:**__ Life's a Witch and then you Die  
__**Author:**__ AdventureLucky7  
__**Fandom:**__ The Hollows  
__**Pairing:**__ Rachel/Ivy (Seriously I will get there, it's just going to take a bit…)  
__**Rating:**__ Mature, for language so far  
__**Disclaimer:**_ _The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story. _

_**Summary: **__What happens when Rynn Cormel forces Rachel to find answers, and she discovers answers to questions she wasn't even asking? Rachel/Ivy, Ivy/Rachel, Ravy_

Kally and Serena looked up at one another and both looked slightly uncomfortable. Kally motioned to Serena and said, "You started it, you explain."

Wrinkling her nose at the comment, Serena turned back to me, "I can smell that your scents are mingled, but, well, there aren't really words to describe it." Gesturing with her hands in an effort to explain, Serena continued, "Ivy smells like love, protectiveness, and well, something I can't put a name to."

Looking at Kally, Serena silently begged for help.

Drumming her fingers on the table and looking up, Kally said in a softer voice, "It's just that it smells sweeter, and more…primal?" Kally's brow furrowed in frustration. "It reminds me a little of the scent of the hunt."

"Fantastic, Ivy smells like she is hunting me. That's not anything surprising" I muttered.

Serena looked at Kally and made a frustrated noise, "David would be better explaining it to you; this is like babies trying to explain a rainbow to a blind person."

Kally sighed and tried again, "I guess a better way to explain it is that hunting is deeply instinctual for us, the emotion exists on a very basic, very primal level. When your mate is near you it's the dominant scent we smell."

My eyebrows nearly reached my hairline, "Ivy is not my mate."

Both Weres began to fidget, Serena found the menu suddenly fascinating and Kally looked like she was trying to commit the light fixture to memory.

I cleared my throat, "You two thinks she sees me as her mate though, don't you?" Shouldn't I be more upset about this, at the very least freaked out?

Kally was the braver of the two, and made eye contact first, "I don't know enough about vampires to tell you for sure. It could be that on a subconscious level she does, or it's somehow instinctual."

Vampires were territorial by nature, maybe this was part of how Ivy kept the other vamps in Cincy away from me. My face scrunched up at thought that this scent was akin to Ivy "marking her territory." Was my life ever normal, or had it just recently taken a turn for the crazy?

We had a brief respite from the conversation when the server arrived and delivered seaweed salad, and chicken skewers with cups of peanut sauce.

Reaching for the salad and chopsticks I asked, "Okay, then I will ask the obvious question, what do I smell like? You said she smells like my mate, but you haven't said anything about my scent."

Serena shrugged one shoulder at my question while she reached for a chicken skewer. "Until now I just assumed you were her mate, I haven't really taken time to analyze your scent. Right now you are wearing perfume so I can't tell what's you, what's perfume, and what's lingering from Ivy." Just my luck that the super Were senses were only helpful in confusing me further.

Taking a bite of the salad in front of me I made a decision, I had never had girlfriends, in the platonic or the romantic sense. Now I had two willing sets ears across the table from me and I needed girl talk.

Sighing, I said, "I do have some sort of feelings for Ivy, but I am confused as hell about the whole thing."

Kally looked up from her salad and asked, "Have you ever dated women before?" I shook my head no, and she looked at me thoughtfully, "but you now find yourself having romantic feelings for Ivy?"

My heart did double time at her inquiry, "That's the question isn't it? I don't know. I admire the hell out of her, and I care about her deeply as a friend." I paused, trying to figure out how to put my feelings into words.

"When I was trapped in the ever-after the thought of the church wasn't enough to get me back here. I had to think of Ivy, of her voice, the way she smelled, and how safe I feel with her."

"Plus, she's hot as hell." Serena added with a smile on her face. Kally shot her an amused glare and back handed her on the arm. I groaned and put my face in my hands. _She's right_ agreed my internal voice.

"Serena," Kally said breaking into my thoughts, "why don't you go find our server whose butt you have been admiring all evening. Give him our orders and for turn's sake get his phone number already and be done with it." Serena grinned in response and left the table to find her target.

Turning back to me Kally asked, "Are you physically attracted to Ivy?"

I blushed at Kally's question, my mind rushing over the time I wondered what it would be like to slip into Ivy's bed, and the half awake sound she would make in welcome. My stomach clenched in response, and it wasn't clenching in panic.

Kally took one look at my blush, and raised an eyebrow, "What are you afraid of Rachel? Being attracted to women, or being committed and tied down?" Kally's question made me hiss in surprise and I felt myself becoming defensive.

Reaching over Kally patted me on the hand, "I don't mean to be blunt, or to ask questions you aren't ready to answer. It's okay if you aren't attracted to Ivy, but if you are at least give yourself the option to explore those feelings."

"Am I gay?" I asked Kally, and she tightened her grip on my hand, in understanding of my confused question.

"Maybe. Though you might be bisexual, you may choose no label, or you might simply say that you are attracted to the person and are not necessarily concerned with the body they inhabit." Kally answered.

I felt a little offended on Ivy's behalf on the last one, "Ivy inhabits a very nice body." I muttered, and blushed once I realized what I had said.

Chuckling, Kally picked up her water to take a drink. "Oh, I agree completely Rachel."

Taking a deep breath I figured I might as well tell her the rest. "I am scared about hurting Ivy. What if this relationship doesn't work out, or I realize it isn't for me. Losing her friendship, having her leave the church, that terrifies me."

Kally took my hand again and turned it palm up, she placed her other hand on top of mine. Considering our joined hands for a moment, Kally looked back up at me, "Ivy is a grown woman, don't you think she has the right to make the decision for herself? Besides, no relationship, platonic or romantic, ever has guarantees."

"Why do you think I am afraid of commitment?" I asked while I digested Kally's words.

"David has told me about the men you have dated in the past. They're fun, they're exciting, full of energy, and very attractive. They aren't, however, the settling down kind. I think on some level you knew that at the time."

"Jenks told me once that I had no desire for the white picket fence, and 2.5 kids. That living a sedate life would slowly kill me." I am so confused; did I want to settle down or not?

"I agree with Jenks." Kally said, "When I said the men you pick aren't the settling down kind, I didn't mean white picket fence kind of settling down. I meant more the life mate kind of settling down."

"Kisten could have been that person." I said trying to defend at least one of my romantic partners; I didn't even bother with Nick or Pierce.

"Maybe," Kally conceded, "I don't mean to lessen his memory in any way."

Kally tilted her head, weighing her next words and saying them slowly, "Kisten was the ex-scion to a Master Vamp that wanted you dead and Kisten wanted his scion status back desperately. If things had gone differently, if Piscary had taken Kisten back into the fold, it would have torn his loyalties."

Nothing like having your romantic past ripped into tiny little pieces I thought wryly. Is this what girls did during slumber parties? Maybe I hadn't missed out on as much as I thought I had.

I felt a tug on our joined hands and I looked back to a very worried looking Kally. Only then, reading her body language, did I realize how much saying those words had cost her. I had asked for help, and in good faith she had answered as best she could as my friend and pack member.

I tightened my hand in hers, and smiled at her to let her know everything was okay. "You think Ivy is different?"

Kally relaxed at my question and laughed, "Ivy isn't perfect, she has her faults like we all do. What I am saying is that if you decide to go down this path, she is looking for a forever kind of person, and I think that scares you."

Serena slid back into her chair interrupting our conversation and wearing a very satisfied smile.

"So, your mission was a success?" I asked.

Holding up a slip of paper in triumph Serena said, "It was! But I think the more important question is: do you plan on banging Ivy?"

Kally started choking on the water she was drinking. I balled up my napkin and threw it at Serena's head when she started laughing at my now crimson face. "Sorry, sorry, I couldn't resist." Serena apologized, holding up her hands in surrender she didn't look sorry at all. Damn, so much for my attempt at changing the subject.

I picked up my chopsticks again, "To catch you up on the conversation, we have confirmed that I am interested in Ivy as more than friends, terrified of losing her in the process, possibly commitment phobic and only now, marginally aware of my slightly less than straight sexuality."

"Ask her out." Serena said immediately, "You're our alpha bitch, man up already." I rolled my eyes trying to figure out all the contradictions in Serena's statement.

"Actually, that is a surprisingly good idea." Kally said and both Serena and I looked at her in shock.

"Hear me out Rachel," Kally held up her hands to forestall my protest, "you're worried about hurting Ivy? If you ask her out, it switches the dynamic of your relationship. From what you told me it is always Ivy initiating, facing the prospect of rejection." I nodded.

Putting her napkin back into her lap, Kally finished, "This way Ivy makes the choice to move forward or not. It eases some of the burden you are putting on yourself to protect her."

"I have the perfect place for us to go out after dinner to help your hunt." Serena said, her voice smug.

I was hunting Ivy?

When in the turn had I made that decision?

**Where is Serena taking them after dinner, will Rachel ever grow a pair, and how long will it take at least one man in the story to suggest a foursome?**

**All these questions answered next week!**

**Whew! Hope you guys enjoyed the conversation between the ladies and Rachel. I think I re-wrote this part at least 8 times trying to get it right.**


	7. Chapter 7

**_Title:_**_ Life's a Witch and then you Die  
**Author:** AdventureLucky7  
**Fandom:** The Hollows  
**Pairing:** Rachel/Ivy (Seriously I will get there, it's just going to take a bit…)  
**Rating:** Mature, for language so far  
**Disclaimer:** _ _The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story. Finding Nemo belongs Disney, or Pixar, or however that works when they merged._

**_ Summary: _**_What happens when Rynn Cormel forces Rachel to find answers, and she discovers answers to questions she wasn't even asking? Rachel/Ivy, Ivy/Rachel, Ravy_

I watched Serena walk up the stairs; grenadine syrup was running down her face into her shirt collar. Wearing a decidedly unhappy expression Serena plopped down beside me and took the wad of cocktail napkins I was holding her way.

Kally had her hand to her mouth, trying desperately not to laugh. Getting control of herself, Kally coughed twice and then asked "So-o-o-o-o I take it that pick up line didn't work?"

Serena frowned at her, still wiping the sticky mess from her face, and muttered "I told you we should have just gone to the strip club, the best plans are made in strip clubs."

Serena's original plan had been to take me to the nearest strip club, I still have no idea how a strip club was supposed to help me hunt Ivy. Kally had rolled her eyes in response to Serena's plan and grabbed my keys. Refusing to tell us where we were going Kally hopped into the driver's seat and had taken control of our after dinner plans. Eventually we ended up in front of a club named Q4. I was surprised at first to see we were going to a human club, which then turned to shock when I noticed a pair of men holding hands and walking into the building. Apparently we were going to a gay human club.

Serena pushed past me to pay our cover and once inside we headed to a table on the second story overlooking the dance floor. For the past several hours we had danced, drank, and watched the action from our second story perch. My shock had quickly turned to interest and then relaxation as I began to enjoy myself.

Clearing my throat, I said innocently "Serena, you can hit on any breathing male and come up with a phone number. What happened?"

Narrowing her eyes at me she answered, "Even an expert like myself can't salvage the pick up line you two came up with."

Kally and I dissolved into laughter. Earlier the three of us had been discussing worst pick up lines. Halfway through the conversation Serena declared it was all about the person's delivery not the line itself. I was partial to believing her; Serena could hit on a dead man and get a phone number. Kally, however, wasn't buying it and dared Serena to get a woman's phone number with a pick up line of our choice.

Serena had cracked her knuckles, leaned back in her chair, and simply said, "Bring it."

Grinning at Kally we threw around a few ideas and settled on, "Damn woman, you are looking fine and fuckable tonight, can I buy you a drink?" Serena looked like she had swallowed her tongue but after a brief pause she gamely headed downstairs.

From our perch Kally and I watched Serena head to the bar and begin scoping out the ladies around her. It took awhile, but Serena finally settled on an athletic brunette in leather pants, and full tattoo sleeves on her arms. Sidling up to the woman Serena leaned against the bar, her body language casually confident. When Serena finally delivered the line the woman looked stunned, and then dumped her entire drink on the Were's head.

I wiped tears from my eyes, and tried to get a handle on my chuckling. The grenadine was drying on Serena's face and small bits of cocktail napkin were starting to stick. Sighing Serena looked at me, "I would challenge you to a pick up line contest, but honestly I have syrup in places not intended for syrup. Let's get out here so I can get a shower."

Chuckling again, I grabbed my jacket, "I think Ivy and I are past the lame pick up line stage anyway." A woman bumped into me as we made our way to the door, and I swiveled slightly while I apologized. Continuing I said, "Besides Ivy has been hunting me for a year, I think I have try for some subtly." What that would be? I had no idea. How in the turn do you woo a woman? Maybe I could sneak some time on Ivy's computer; surely the internet could clue me in.

"You could go with the direct approach, subtly might be confused with mix signals. If you send Ivy anymore mixed signals you are going to give the vamp a permanent twitch from trying to reign in her instincts." Kally chimed in.

Looking sideways at Kally, "When did you get to be such a relationship expert?"

"What can I say, I'm a genius. Aren't you glad I'm a member of your pack?" Kally quipped back.

"Absolutely." I said and grabbed both Weres in a one armed hug as we made our way back to my car.

The drive back to the church was quiet, Kally was dozing in the back seat, and Serena was trying to find handi wipes in her purse to clean up her face. When we arrived at the church I opened my car door, and made it three steps when I froze. The smell of redwood and putrefying flesh rolled over me, and my terror followed on its heels. The bile rose to my throat as two thoughts came to me: _Ivy and the Pixies_. Something had hit my church, my home, with a very, very black earth charm.

My first instinct was to charge through the front door, but looking back I saw both Weres scenting the air, they were trying to place the smell. _They aren't ready _I thought, not for the kind of danger that might be waiting for me in the church. I needed a plan. I needed backup.

"Get back in the car." I barked hoarsely at Kally and Serena. They both turned to me stunned, and Serena began to open her mouth. I made a sharp sideways motion with my hand cutting her off, my stomach was rolling, "Now!"

Both ladies jumped back into the car and I drove us to Keasley's. Banging on the door, I fumbled for my cell phone and dialed Ivy's number. _Please oh please let her be all right._ Keasley opened the door and with one look at us he motioned us in. The phone continued to ring, and went to voice mail. I hung up, and dialed again, the sweat was beginning to form on my forehead; I tried not to imagine Ivy in the church. The phone went to voicemail again. Nearly screaming in frustration I dialed Ivy's number a third time and left her a voicemail telling her to meet us at Keasley's. Pacing I told Kally, "Call David, tell him where we are, tell him to get here now."

While I dialed Jenks I rested my forehead on a wall and willed him to pick up the phone. It went to voicemail and I resisted the urge to sink to my knees. There would be time later for a breakdown, right now I needed to focus. I was barely aware of Kally's strained voice telling David where to meet us. My stomach rolled again and I thought of the nightmares that I had for several months after I thought I had lost Ivy and Jenks in the F.I.B. interrogation room. No, I would not panic, not again.

Running through my options, I knew that I could call Rynn Cormel, but I balked at the idea. Vampire camarillas are competitive to a fault, if Ivy had been attacked in her own home and overpowered, she would appear weak. Ivy had enough enemies; I would not risk her looking vulnerable unless I was sure she was in danger. Cormel would have to be Plan B.

Right now I needed a Plan A, and my brain settled on the direct route. Jih, Jenk's daughter who lived in Keasley's garden, would have to be reconnaissance. David would be the muscle, and I would be the magic. Keasley would be our back up, if he didn't hear from us every 20 minutes, he would call Rynn and bring in the cavalry.

Looking over I saw Keasley sitting patiently with the ladies, looking at me expectantly. "The church smells like redwood and road kill," I said in response to his unasked question. Keasley's eyes widened, we were both witches, and both of us had worked at I.S. The price of such a spell is a sacrifice, and we both knew the victim did not die an easy or quick death.

Give me smut on my soul any day.

Keasley motioned for me to follow him into the kitchen and he began to clean off his table. Disappearing into his bedroom for a moment, he re-emerged with a map and markers. I nodded my thanks and spread the map out; marking possible escape routes if something went wrong. When I was satisfied I grabbed a napkin and drew a rough sketch of the church floor plan. By the time I heard Serena open the front door for David I had a plan.

David walked into the kitchen shedding his coat and Keasley called for Jih in the garden. Once all three Weres, two witches, and one pixy were huddled around the table I explained what had happened at the church. Jih flew to my shoulder, her wings red in distress, and I walked everyone through our reconnaissance mission. I refused to think of it as a rescue mission. Ivy, Jenks and the Pixie hoard were fine; there was no other option to consider.

Kally pressed a bag in my hands once I was done talking, and I looked down to see my spare leathers and splat gun that I stash in my car. I went to change, and left David to explain to the ladies why they were staying behind.

Walking out of the bathroom I saw David crouched down talking to two wolves. One was silver, her coat fading to black half way down her legs. The second wolf was beautiful mahogany with a splash of white shaped like a candle flame on her chest.

Keasley appeared in my line of vision and handed me a sound dampening charm, it would help hide our approach to the church. Nodding my thanks I stepped into the kitchen. Seeing me both wolves perked up, and came over to butt my leg with their heads. I bent down to scratch their ears, and they whined at me voicing their displeasure. Staying behind went against every Were instinct they had, wolves were meant to hunt in packs.

Sighing I looked at both wolves, "Guard our backs and protect Keasley, we will be back before you know it." Kally, the silver wolf, huffed and pressed her nose to my cheek in goodbye before trotting out the back door. Serena cocked her head at me for a moment, and then followed her pack mate.

David stood up and explained, "I told them to guard the perimeter; they won't let anyone or anything in the house." I nodded my approval, everything was in place. Jih landed on my shoulder, I tucked my splat gun into its holster, and with David on my heels we began to make our way back to the church.

**Well, some questions were answered this week. Rachel still hasn't quite grown a pair, but I have hope she is getting closer. No man available for the suggestion of a foursome...where is Jenks when you need him? Serena tried to take Rachel to a strip club (I couldn't resist after Lupe629's review of the story, I shamelessly quoted her)**

**I am also taking pick up line suggestions, I have a feeling Rachel is going to need all the help she can get with wooing Ivy. More importantly, are there actually good pick up lines out there? My experience says no...**

**Having said that we are headed into more serious territory for a bit, where is Ivy and Jenks? Who in the hell is dumb enough to attack the church and risk pissing off a high blood vampire who is the Tamwood heir?**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Title:**__ Life's a Witch and then you Die  
__**Author:**__ AdventureLucky7  
__**Fandom:**__ The Hollows  
__**Pairing:**__ Rachel/Ivy (Seriously I will get there, it's just going to take a bit…)  
__**Rating:**__ Mature, for language so far  
__**Disclaimer:**_ _The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story. _

_**Summary: **__What happens when Rynn Cormel forces Rachel to find answers, and she discovers answers to questions she wasn't even asking? Rachel/Ivy, Ivy/Rachel, Ravy_

David and I were crouched in the back of the garden, both of us staking out territory behind tombstones. During training in the I.S. we were taughtto drop our awareness into a kind of tunnel vision when in danger. It would be easy, especially when your fight or flight reflexes kick in to panic, or react blindly. Give into those instincts and someone was going to die that night. It might be you, it might be the tag, or it might be the person you are trying to protect.

The tunnel vision forces you to focus on the danger, not your reaction to it. I have never been as grateful to I.S. as I am tonight. On the edges of my conscious I can feel my panic over what we might find in the church, but right now it's manageable. Curling into a fetal position would come later, after I knew we were all safe, after this was all over.

We had agreed to give Jih fifteen minutes for reconnaissance; it had now been nineteen. Glancing at David I motioned to him to contact Keasley again, early this time to let him know we were following after Jih. As David and I crept from behind the tombstones a part of me was suddenly very tired of the fear I felt at the edges of my consciousness all night. Someone had attacked my home, and my family, anger began to take the place of fear. Anger was good, that I could channel and use to burn away the nerves. I am a frickin' proto demon for turn's sake, you think the vampire is scary when she's pissed?

The closer we got to the church the angrier I became, I had hunting plans damnit. Sure they were a little ambiguous at this point, but I am damn tired of life getting in the way every time I tried to make a relationship work. In a moment of weakness I even promised that I would watch _Finding Nemo_ with the Pixie hoard again as long as they were safe.

Reaching the door I drew the splat gun from its holster. Nodding at David he opened the door and I burst through the opening, sweeping the area. All clean. Silently sweeping each room in the church I didn't see anything suspicious. When we walked past the belfry entrance I braced the door shut. I wanted to avoid anymore unpleasant surprises tonight, and we still had the sanctuary to check.

As we neared the sanctuary the smell of decay and redwood grew stronger. Slowing my pace I switched to my second sight and checked for booby traps. Again, nothing, my unease was increasing with each step. It wasn't until we reached the sanctuary entrance that I put a hand out to stop David from walking any further.

Looking up I noticed a charm hanging from the entryway of the sanctuary, it looked familiar but I couldn't place it. Moving my awareness to just beyond the sanctuary entrance I could see a protective circle, inside swirled a sickly looking fog.

As my eyes adjusted to the fog I was suddenly able to make out a large shape on the ground, vampire size. I froze as I recognized small shapes draped across every surface in the sanctuary. It was Ivy and the Pixie hoard, I nearly started hyperventilating until David laid a hand on my shoulder.

"I can hear breathing and heart beats Rachel, they're alive."

I closed my eyes for a moment and felt a bead of moisture roll down my cheek. They're alive, I can work with that. I will watch _Finding Nemo_ twice I thought, and bake Ivy cupcakes everyday for the next month.

"What do you see?" David asked softly in my ear.

I swallowed, and pushed my emotions back behind my tunnel vision again "There's a protective circle inside the sanctuary, and some kind of fog trapped by the circle. If fog could be a pus green color anyway."

"Can you break the circle?"

"That's the thing, I shouldn't be able to but I have the distinct feeling whoever cast it is long gone." A lightbulb went off, I recognized the charm.

"Stay here." I told David.

One of the most basic skills you learn when studying for a witch's license is how to make a protective circle. Witches use them all the time for casting and charm making, it's the best way to prevent accidents. However, like all things based on natural law, protective circles have their counterpart: retaining circles. Retaining circles are a more obscure kind of spell because they are generally used as traps. In essence a retaining circle will let anything through its walls, it just wont let it back out again.

My guess is that Jih saw her family and rushed to see if they were okay. Once inside, the circle wouldn't let Jih out again and she succumbed to effects of the fog. I grabbed a wooden spoon from the kitchen and walked past David again to stick it halfway through the barrier. Once I was satisfied, I tried tugging the spoon out, but it refused to move. Definitely a retaining circle.

The charm above the doorway acts as a focus; it's why retaining circles make such great traps. A witch can use a focus charm to act as a stand in, that way he or she doesn't have to be near to maintain the circle. Once the charm is broken, the retaining circle would fall. There were still a few pieces of the puzzle I didn't understand. A focus charm isn't black or powerful enough to need a sacrifice, which left the fog as the source of the scent of decaying flesh.

"Let's sweep the belfry, and then have the ladies bring over Keasley, I need a second opinion. I can break the circle; it's the fog behind it that makes me nervous."

David nodded his agreement and we headed to the belfry. _Please let Bis be safe_ I thought. Moving up the stairs David nearly walked into my back when I stopped suddenly at the top. Every single one of my demon books were missing. Pushing past me David finished checking the belfry while I walked to the table I normally used as my unofficial demon magic study table. This isn't good, I have a lot of enemies but none of them would benefit directly from stealing the books.

Glancing up I whistled for Bis, no response. Bis wouldn't leave without a very good reason, and I felt goosebumps crawl across my arms. Someone had done a lot of black magic, and planning, to steal my demon texts.

David called Keasley on his phone, and we made our way back down the front of the sanctuary to wait. Well David waited, I mostly paced. Maybe it was time to make a list again of everyone who wanted to kill me.

It felt like centuries later, but David perked up at the sound of Keasley's approach. I headed to the front of the church to open the door for Keasley and the ladies, who were now back in human form. Once inside Keasley and I moved back to the sanctuary entryway to take stock of the situation.

"Do you recognize the fog?" I asked.

Keasley shook his head no, "Perhaps if one of the Weres could dump salt water on the charm and then bolt out the back door. The fog will probably dissipate and we could check on our friends."

Part of me smiled when he referred to Ivy and the Pixies as our friends. Glancing at David he nodded his agreement and he called Serena over who was the fastest of the three Weres.

I went to the kitchen and grabbed my dented spell pot to fill with salt water to break the charm. When I was finished Serena stayed in the kitchen while the rest of headed to the back of the graveyard. When we were a safe distance away David whistled, I heard the spell pot hit the floor and Serena came flying out the back door. Following the Were just a few moments later was the sickly fog.

It only took about half an hour for the fog to completely disappear out the church, and once it was gone we headed back inside. Motioning for the Weres to stay at the sanctuary entrance I slowly made my way to Ivy. Getting to the vampire took much longer than I expected because several Pixie children littered the carpet. Slowly I picked up each pixy and moved them out of harms' way.

When I reached Ivy I reached out to touch her cheek with my trembling hand. When my fingertips touched warm skin I finally allowed myself to breathe a sigh of relief. I ran my fingers through Ivy's hair, starting at her temple. Each time I moved my hand through her hair I felt the tension leave me a little more, I needed to convince myself that Ivy was alive. Fuck the cupcakes, I would kiss Ivy once I broke this damn charm. Revelations seem to catch me at the strangest times and I swallowed nervously. _Try waking her up first_ the voice in my head said, laughing at me.

Should I be worried the voice in my head is smarter than I am sometimes?

Taking stock of the rest of the room I saw Jenks and Jih on the couch. Part of me was still very worried about Bis, but I would find him too once Ivy and Jenks were awake.

Standing up I saw Keasley and the Weres at the doorway all wearing relieved smiles. Nodding my head I walked past them, and picked up my dented spell pot to fill with another dose of salt water.

Kally offered to carry the spell pot once it was full, and I was grateful for her help. The damn pot was heavy and I was reaching the point of exhaustion.

"Lets try this on Ivy first, I think I am going to need a spray bottle for the Pixies." Kally nodded her understanding, and promptly dumped the entire contents of the spell pot on the vampire.

We waited a moment, nothing happened.

Frowning I kneeled down next to Ivy and checked her pulse. It was slow and steady under my finger tips, no change at all. Sitting back on my heels I regarded the vampire in front of me. _That's strange _I thought _salt water should easily break a black earth charm._

Then it hit me, and my stomach dropped to the floor. There is only one other kind of dark spell that would require a sacrifice, that salt water couldn't reverse.

A demon curse.

**I didn't have the heart to leave you guys hanging long on the last chapter. Ch7 was really all about transition from girls night out to danger in the church. Ch8? Helluva lot more fun to write. As much as I love introspection into Rachel's feelings for Ivy as much as the next person, I think we all needed a break. **

**Insert danger, and demon curses.**

**All I ask is that you refrain from throwing objects at the latest cliffhanger...**

**:)**


	9. Chapter 9

_**Title:**__ Life's a Witch and then you Die  
__**Author:**__ AdventureLucky7  
__**Fandom:**__ The Hollows  
__**Pairing:**__ Rachel/Ivy (Seriously I will get there, it's just going to take a bit…)  
__**Rating:**__ Mature, for language so far  
__**Disclaimer:**_ _The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story. _

_**Summary: **__What happens when Rynn Cormel forces Rachel to find answers, and she discovers answers to questions she wasn't even asking? Rachel/Ivy, Ivy/Rachel, Ravy_

A demon curse.

How in the turn had this happened? The church was sanctified; no demon could have cast the curse inside the church, unless it was Newt. My blood when cold at that thought, but no, if the church was defiled I would have seen it with my second sight. Breathing in the air through my nose, I noticed I also couldn't smell brimstone.

Getting to my feet again, my eyes flickered to Keasley, he looked grim. I could tell the witch knew what it meant that I couldn't break Ivy's sleep with salt water. My anger came back in full force. I hate when the rules of the game change.

Only one thing to do now and I stalked to the garden to call Al. The turn preserve that bastard if he had anything to do this, I gritted my teeth. This might be some elaborate ruse to get me to for help.

Al answered my call pretty quickly, "Yes my itchy witch? Miss me already?"

"Al," I growled and quickly filled him in on the happenings in the church. When I finished Al was silent as if thinking, "I will be right there," he said soberly. Part of me was glad that Al was taking my fear seriously, another part of me was nervous. Al never takes anything I say seriously, he didn't even mock me before he agreed to come.

Al appeared suddenly several feet away from me in the garden, and sat down delicately on the nearest tombstone pinching his nose. "Rachel, who did you piss off this time?" My mouth opened to protest, but instead decided to think over the question. "No one recently," I grumbled instead.

I sat down on a tombstone not far from Al and looked over my garden, missing the glow of pixy children. "Al, how do I revive Ivy and Jenks?"

"You said the fog was green?" Al asked, ignoring my question. I nodded my head.

"A Nyx Somnus curse is my guess, since the vampire is still breathing. What's interesting is that the somnus curse doesn't require a sacrifice, its cousin Nyx Thanatus does, but then your vampire would be dead." I felt my stomach drop but Al was too lost in his assessment to notice my reaction and continued, "What's more a demon can't cast a curse on sanctified ground, otherwise it would be defiled." Al paused for a moment lost in thought, trying to figure out the puzzle. I had more pressing questions.

"Al, what about Ivy and Jenks" I tried again, forcing my teeth not to clench in the process.

"Itchy Witch, the more important question to ask is what curse is creating that turn awful smell? I honestly don't know how you stay alive sometimes; you can't seem to focus on the immediate danger." Al's retort was slightly nasal this time, and I noticed he was back to pinching his nose shut.

"I am focusing on the immediate danger; I stay alive because Ivy and Jenks guard my back." I said hotly sticking my hands in my jacket pockets in a defensive gesture. My fingertips brushed something foreign and frowning I pulled out a business card. It simply read, "H.L.G." Confused I turned it over and I felt dread begin seeping through every bit of me; on the back of the card someone had written "Having fun yet?" There was a fucking smiley face at the end of the question.

Trembling with rage I remembered that I had bumped a woman in the club, running the memory through my mind I came up blank on any kind of physical description. Who in the turn was H.L.G., and what kind of fucking game was she playing?

"What's that?" Al asked pointing to the card in my hand.

"My guess? The person who attacked the church slipped me this card while I was out tonight." I handed the card to Al for him to see.

As soon as the card touched the demon's hand it began to morph, wrapping itself around Al's wrist. The demon tried to drop the card but it was too late. Instead of holding the card Al was now wearing an inch wide golden bracelet. Two lines of cuneiform writing stretched across the surface, branded deeply into the gold. The demon's eyes glowed red, and he let loose a string of obscenities in several different languages, most of which I didn't recognize.

My eyes had widened at the beginning of Al's tirade, but my patience wore then very quickly. Sitting in the garden screaming might make us feel better, but it wasn't productive. "Al!" I shouted interrupting the demon, "what in the turn is that?"

"The demon equivalent of a collar, that damn witch has collared me! I will rip a hole through her stomach and shove her head so far up…" I waved my arms in front of Al interrupting what I am sure would have been a very creative end for H.L.G.

Al took a deep breath, "Itchy witch, there are only a few small ways for a demon to stay on this side of the line when the sun rises. One is to possess a willing body; the second is for a collar like this!" Shaking the bracelet in my face he continued, "I am as vulnerable as a human until I kill that damn witch and get my powers back!" Well, that's interesting information to have. It was possible to shackle a demon's power, just like those pesky zip ties the F.I.B. had used on me before to keep me from tapping a line.

"Who's H.L.G?" I asked tucking away the new demon information Al had let slip.

Al winced, "Hortence Lenora Granville."

My head whipped up and I glared at the demon. "The same witch you said wouldn't come here? That Hortence? The same one powerful enough to make you her familiar?" I asked incredulously, my voice going up an octave.

Al cleared his throat, "Yes, and my guess is she is the same witch who cast the demon curses in your church."

My head spun at that thought, and I reached back to grip the headstone I was sitting on so I wouldn't topple over. There was another one of me? Another witch that could twist demon curses? Except this witch had twisted a deadly black demon curse, which meant she had no conscience. I didn't even want to think about all the curses in my demon books that someone with no conscience would find interesting. Groaning I put my head between my legs to keep from passing out.

I needed another plan, and I needed Ivy and Jenks.

"Al, tell me how to break the Nyx Somnus curse. We need both of them before Hortie shows up at my door looking for you."

"Hortie?" Al snorted at the nickname I had given our common threat, "I can give you the means to break the curse, but at a price."

"What price?" I said sitting up, turn take this bastard. Al brought this trouble to my door and now he wants payment for making things right.

"Protection." Al said.

I crossed my arms, I wasn't surprised by the request, but we needed some parameters. When dealing with demons, always set parameters on the agreement. "Here are my conditions: My partners and I aren't killers so don't think we are taking Hortie out for you, and we offer protection for the next 30 days or until your bracelet falls off. Whichever comes first."

"Agreed," Al said, and shook my hand. When he removed his hand a new demon mark marred my inner forearm.

Clearing my throat, "Ivy and Jenks?"

Al smiled at my question, "Kiss her."

Stunned, I just stared at the demon, "Kiss who?"

"The vampire," Al said, clearly enjoying my reaction.

"Do I look like Sleeping Beauty to you? Be serious Al."

Laughing Al replied, "I am serious my itchy witch, and I think technically the vampire is sleeping beauty which would make you prince charming. Besides, where do think humans have gotten all their inane stories?"

I sat in shock on the tombstone trying to wrap my brain around kissing Ivy. My palms were sweating just thinking about it.

"If kissing the vampire is a problem you could just kill Hortie, it would save us both a lot of trouble." Al suggested in an innocent tone.

I glared at the demon, "Not happening Al, I am not a murderer. What about the pixies?"

"They need a kiss too, but you're going to have to find someone else to do that. They're simply too small I think."

That made sense; I had no idea how to kiss Jenks without squishing him. I stood up and headed to the kitchen, my palms still sweating. _Ivy and Rachel sitting in a treeeeeee…_ my internal voice sing-songed. The turn take me, I hoped my nerves settled down, vomiting on Ivy was something I really didn't want to do.

When we reached the kitchen Keasley and the Weres were waiting for me. I had gone to the garden alone, the less people talking to the demon the better. At the sight of Al, David began growling, his lips pulled back to show his teeth.

"Pipe down pup," Al said, "My itchy witch and I have an agreement, no harming her friends." David's growling lessened to a rumble as he looked at me.

"Just don't talk to him or make any deals. Trust me, making deals with demons never works out in your favor." Al grinned in response to my explanation, clearly enjoying the warning and the look of apprehension my friends gave him.

Ignoring the demon I turned to David, "Can someone go get Jih's husband from Keasley's garden? We need another pixie to wake up Jenks and the hoard. I'll take care of Ivy." There was no need to explain why; everyone in the kitchen had been able to hear my earlier conversation with Al.

Serena and Kally volunteered to go to Keasleys, I nodded my thanks, and both ladies hugged me before heading out the door. Glancing in the direction of the sanctuary, I sighed a moment and headed to wake Ivy. Swarms of butterflies were bouncing around my stomach, do butterflies fly in swarms? I would have to look that up sometime, maybe when I was researching how to date women.

"Good luck Princess Charming!" I heard Al call from the kitchen once I was out of sight. I shook my head in irritation, glad at least for the privacy while I woke Ivy.

Once in the sanctuary I knelt beside Ivy and gently rolled her from her side to her back. Why in the turn am I so nervous? I kiss people, it's not rocket science. Mentally berating myself I leaned over and cupped Ivy's face gently while I pressed my lips to hers.

Soft, that's the first thought that came to my mind when I kissed Ivy. I found myself reveling in the sensation and the smell of incense that engulfed me. Pulling back I studied the vampire for a change in her condition, nothing. I bit my lip in confusion; her lack of response had better not be a cosmic commentary on my technique. I leaned down to try again but just before our lips touched I saw Ivy's eyes pop open in surprise. We both stayed frozen for a moment, my lips hovering over hers, staring at one another.

"Rachel, what are you doing?" Ivy asked her voice slightly husky. My eyes fluttered shut as I felt her breath wash over my lips.

"Kissing you," I answered closing the distance between us again.

* * *

**Holy geeze! The witch and the vamp finally kiss!**

**Will they live happily ever, will Rachel turn into a pumpkin at midnight, and why in the hell am I mixing up my fairy tales? Wait, should that be pixie tales, or demon tales? Damn, sometimes this universe really f's up my vernacular.**


	10. Chapter 10

_**Title:**__ Life's a Witch and then you Die  
__**Author:**__ AdventureLucky7  
__**Fandom:**__ The Hollows  
__**Pairing:**__ Rachel/Ivy (Seriously I will get there, it's just going to take a bit…)  
__**Rating:**__ Mature, for language so far  
__**Disclaimer:**_ _The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story. _

_**Summary: **__What happens when Rynn Cormel forces Rachel to find answers, and she discovers answers to questions she wasn't even asking? Rachel/Ivy, Ivy/Rachel, Ravy_

"What. The. Fuck. Rachel." Ivy growled as she pinned me to the sanctuary wall, her hand around my throat.

Looking into Ivy's obsidian eyes glittering with rage, I admit that I hadn't thought very far past kissing the vampire. Though, if I had, I imagine being thrown against a wall midway through the kiss would have been far down the list of possibilities. Actually pinned to the wall might be higher on the list, just not this exact situation. _Too fast? _The voice inside my head wondered, shit if it's confused, then I am fucked.

"Ivy," I gasped slightly, putting both hands around her hand, trying to leverage a little extra space to breath, "there was a demon curse, I had to brea…"

"I know!" snarled the vampire, leaning closer to me, almost nose to nose, "I want to know why in the turn you felt it was necessary to cast it over the pixies, and then blast me with a fucking leyline!"

Ivy was cussing, a lot. This is badbadbadbadbad. Trying desperately to grasp something that resembled mental acuity, I tried to figure out my next move. Ivy wasn't hurting me; she was applying just enough pressure to hold me in place, no more. Blasting the vampire with a leyline was out, pixies were still scattered around the room. Trying to talk her down when her eyes were this black would probably backfire, maybe I should just start apologizing.

The decision was made for me by a silver wolf suddenly barreling straight into Ivy's gut. Without Ivy holding me to the wall I sank to my knees. When I caught my breath I looked up to see Ivy in the furthest corner of the room baring her fangs. Surrounding me were three growling Weres.

Jenks flew into the middle of the room, his wings dusting red in anger, "Disney's whore Rachel! What in the turn were you thinking?" At Jenk's anger Serena growled a warning, which led to Ivy hissing, then David snarled at the vampire, and the tension in the room ratcheted up ten more notches. _Oh for turns sake, we were going to save Hortie the trouble of killing us all by doing it ourselves _I thought.

"Enough!" I barked, all three Weres sat and looked at me expectantly, Jenks landed on the couch, mouth slightly agape, and Ivy…well, she at least stopped growling. _Point to the dominant Alpha in the room!_ The voice in my head cheered.

"Ivy, Jenks. I have been out all night with Kally and Serena. I got home to find the church reeking of something rotten, and we mounted a rescue mission. I found both of you passed out in a retaining circle. That's the short version, now you two tell me what in the turn happened here." I kept my voice low, and unemotional, trying hard not to get everyone worked up again.

Jenks blinked at me from the couch, "You came back though, Kally wasn't feeling well so you guys rescheduled. We ordered pizza, Ivy left to pick it up and next thing I know you had thrown a protective circle around the entire sanctuary."

"Then she blasted me with a fucking leyline and I landed inside the circle." Ivy growled.

Jenk's looked at the vampire and said softly, "You, I mean the not-Rachel fired three shots off with your splat gun and the whole circled filled with a green smoke."

How in the turn had Hortie known about the splat gun, and how had she tricked Ivy and Jenks? "You couldn't tell it wasn't me? Not even by scent?"

Jenks shook his head warily, "It? She? smelled like you Rache. She even had your mannerisms down, we had no idea it wasn't you."

"We still don't" Ivy grumbled from the corner, her posture crouched, as if ready for an attack.

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes at the vampire, I said "The marks on pool table, Kisten's pool table? They're claw marks, and we both know you made them." Ivy blushed a moment before her face set in a scowl.

"At least the blood came out." I said, mirroring a conversation I had with Ivy months ago, one that had mortified me and made me scramble off the table.

"It's her." Ivy pouted.

I smiled at the vampire's pout, and asked "How in the turn did she get past you two?"

"Who got past us?" Ivy and Jenks asked at the same time Al shouted from the kitchen, "Speculum Speculorum curse!"

At Al's voice Ivy and Jenks looked at me in unison, both wearing identical expressions of shock. Sighing I stood up at motioned for everyone to go to the kitchen, I needed to catch everyone up, and this time with the long version.

Once we were all assembled in the kitchen, I looked to Al, "Speculum Speculorum curse?"

"It allows the caster to become a mirror image of the person they desire to emulate. It's stronger than an earth charm because physically speaking you become that person, hence why Hortie smelled like you." Al paused for a moment, letting that sink. "It's a handy curse but also a really nasty one to twist. It requires a sacrifice, one that has been tortured for at least a week; my guess is that it was a witch. If the curse got past the vampire and the pixy, it would need a strong sacrifice to make it that potent." My stomach turned at the thought of Hortie's victim, turn help me I was going to do everything in my power to stop her.

"Does the curse emulate mannerisms too?" Ivy asked breaking through my grim thoughts; I was actually surprised to see cinnamon starting to form around the obsidian. I expected the breech into the vampire's territory to cause her to be far more on edge than she was right now.

"No," Al frowned a moment, "the mind and soul of the caster remain the same. Hortie would have had to learn Rachel Mariana Morgan's mannerisms from somewhere or someone." A cold shiver went up my back at that.

"Did you sell Rachel's secrets demon?" Ivy growled. Okay, maybe the vampire was more on edge than I originally thought.

Al scoffed at the question, "No baby vamp, Rachel Mariana Morgan is my student, and there is a certain responsibility that comes with that." I winced at the baby vamp statement, and I watched as the cinnamon around Ivy's pupils disappeared again. Do we really have to poke the Tiger in the cage? Stupid demon.

Breaking into the conversation before blood was spilled in my kitchen I said, "I am calling a truce for tonight, we can re-group tomorrow after everyone has had a decent nights sleep. Al, we have an inflatable mattress for you, it can go in the belfry. Keasley you are welcome to my bed, the Weres can protect you." I motioned for everyone to start moving; we were circling the wagons tonight.

"Where are you sleeping?" Keasley asked as I dug through some drawers in the kitchen. Locating the charms I was looking for I passed Keasely a deadly magic detector. Some warning would be better than none, though I had the distinct feeling Hortie wasn't coming back tonight.

"I'll take the couch." I answered distractedly while I placed a charm on the kitchen door, and then walked to the church entrance to put one there too.

"Jenks, why don't you have your family come in tonight?" I asked the Pixy. Jenks nodded his agreement and buzzed out the kitchen window to round up his family.

I rubbed the back of my neck wearily and turned to find one irritated vampire, and three grumpy Weres looking at me. "What?" I asked running my hands through my hair.

"You really think we're going to let you sleep on the couch unprotected?" Ivy asked incredulously; the Weres nodded their heads in agreement looking like bobble head dogs you see in the back of human cars.

Sighing I answered, "Where would you like me to sleep Ivy?"

"With me." My eyes widened a bit at that answer and Ivy snorted, "Get your mind out of the gutter Rachel, you can sleep on the floor. Serena whined softly and Ivy huffed, "You AND the Weres can stay in my room."

"What about my scent?"

"I'm fine, I fed today, and the Weres will help mask your scent."

Personally I wasn't buying it. If anything Ivy should be feeling more territorial, not inviting extra people into her bedroom. Besides, we hadn't even discussed the kiss yet. The vampire may have forgotten it in all the excitement but I hadn't.

Before I could disagree with Ivy, David yipped his agreement and I knew that I had already lost the battle. Turning to my Alpha I knelt down, "Can you still stay with Keasley? The ladies can come with me." David yipped again and I gave into the inevitable. All I needed now was someone to make a quip about a foursome and my night of horrors would be complete.

Stretching I went to find Kally and Serena some pajamas. When I returned only Ivy remained in the kitchen, I raised my eyebrows at her in question.

"Serena and Kally went to Keasley's to pick him something up to wear. David is in the Belfry with Al getting his sleeping arrangements taken care of."

I nodded sleepily, glad that I was in pajamas at least, I turned to head to the hallway closet where we kept the spare linens. We had enough stuff to make a comfortable pallet for the ladies and myself to sleep on the floor. I was stopped mid-step by a tug on my hand, I turned back to Ivy who had grasped my hand lightly. Turning it over the vampire studied my knuckles intently, "Rachel, I'm sorry about earlier, instinct kicked in, and I was still hurting from getting blasted."

Smilingly at the vampire I responded, "Ive, not a big deal, you weren't hurting me. You still had control."

Ivy didn't respond to my assurances, but instead kept studying my hand, "You kissed me to break the curse," the vampire said, phrasing it a statement not a question.

Biting my lip, I looked at Ivy who was ignoring eye contact at the moment. "Yes, I did bu−"

"You have a stamp on your hand," Ivy interrupted me.

I glanced down at the stamp I had received at the club and nodded.

"It's a stamp from Q4." Ivy said, I hadn't really paid attention, but Ivy was right, the stamp read Q4.

"It is." I agreed.

"Rachel, why were you at a gay club?" My throat went dry at that question, my mind racing for a moment. I SO wasn't prepared for this conversation, but Kally had said to go with the direct approach, try to avoid mixed signals. _Good advice, I can do that_ I thought.

"Research." I answered and moaned internally. Shit. What kind of answer was that?

"Research?" The corners of Ivy's mouth twitched upward, she was still avoiding eye contact but her voice sounded amused.

"Research." I said firmly, wondering why my vocabulary had shrunk to one word, one completely useless word.

"Rachel, what kind of research were you conducting in a gay human club?" Ivy definitely sounded amused this time.

"Hunting." Shit! Can't I speak in complete sentences anymore? _At least you didn't say research again_ the voice in my head pointed out, exasperated this time.

"Hunting?" Ivy asked, her voice smoothing out and taking on a velvety texture. I gulped, I know that tone. It means her voice is moments away from turning into grey silk, and turn help me I would melt into the floor if she used that voice. _Mayday, mayday, code red! Proceed with counterattack!_ The voice in my head shrilled like a siren.

So I did what I always do when forced into a corner, I acted impulsively.

Moving quickly I tugged Ivy closer and kissed her again. The kiss was still gentle this time, but much more confident than in the sanctuary. I tugged my hand out of Ivy's grasp and wrapped my hands around her waist bringing her body against mine. We fit perfectly together and Ivy deepened the kiss making my pulse race . Moving her hands to the back of my head Ivy threaded her fingers through my hair.

Then carefully, slowly, I ended the kiss mindful of the fact that David and Al were headed back downstairs soon. Slightly breathless I leaned my forehead against Ivy's and waited for her to open her eyes. When the vampire finally looked at me her eyes had turned back to cinnamon. _With small flecks of gold¸ _the voice in my head noted.

"Hunting." I confirmed, and I kissed the corner of Ivy's mouth. Turning I headed back to the linen closet to gather blankets and pillows. Ivy needed time to process everything, I was a patient hunter, I could wait.

Maybe tomorrow I could even try for complete sentences.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this chapter, my favorite part might be Rachel's reaction to being hurled into a wall mid kiss. The sleeping beauty reference from Chapter 9 was probably a little predictable, hopefully Ivy's reaction at the beginning of this chapter was not so predictable :) I also thought the Ivy/Rachel dynamic in previous chapters was a little skewed towards Rachel getting the best of Ivy (food fight, and _Finding Nemo_) The interaction between Ivy/Rachel at the end brings them back to parity. Rachel is awkward, and Ivy thinks it's cute/amusing.**

**Any way, thanks for the reviews everyone, I appreciate the feedback.**


	11. Chapter 11

_**Title:**__ Life's a Witch and then you Die  
__**Author:**__ AdventureLucky7  
__**Fandom:**__ The Hollows  
__**Pairing:**__ Rachel/Ivy (Seriously I will get there, it's just going to take a bit…)  
__**Rating:**__ Mature, for language so far  
__**Disclaimer:**_ _The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story. _

_**Summary: **__What happens when Rynn Cormel forces Rachel to find answers, and she discovers answers to questions she wasn't even asking? Rachel/Ivy, Ivy/Rachel, Ravy_

I woke in a tangle of limbs and the smell of a forest after a rainstorm. Blinking sleepily, I tried to remember where in the turn I was. Slowly the details of the room came into focus, and the smell of incense wafted lazily through the air. Ivy's room, that's right, and I yawned as my brain kicked back into gear. Looking over my shoulder I saw Serena snuggled into my form, Kally was tucked securely under my chin.

Before we went to bed last night I had stolen a moment to talk to Ivy about Were instincts. My main concern was that in times of stress beta Weres will seek out their Alphas for comfort. I had shuddered at the thought of Ivy's jealous tendencies meeting the Were instinct for close contact. Ivy's eye had twitched a moment when I explained the situation, but her features softened when she looked over at Kally who had David in a fierce hug. In the end the vampire had merely shrugged and offered to take first watch that night. It had been a graceful way for us to avoid an awkward situation when we tried to figure out sleeping arrangements.

I lay back down for a moment to enjoy a sense of contentment and belonging. The Were scent washed over me again, carrying a hint of pine, fresh earth, and a clean scent only a long rainstorm can bring. It was beautiful and with the smell of incense weaving through it all it was heaven. Today was going to be a long; we had a black proto-demon/witch to find, a full house that included a demon, and a gargoyle to rescue. Scrunching up my nose at the thought of the oncoming fights I decided it was time to grab a shower, maybe a hot breakfast would start everyone in a good mood.

First I needed to extricate myself from the Serena/Kally sandwich I was in. Accomplishing that task took much longer than I anticipated. It seemed whenever I managed to free a part of my body, one of the Weres would snuggle close and snag me back. It would have been cute if we weren't three grown women, one of which who was trying to figure out how to court the vampire sleeping four feet away.

Once free from the Weres, and fully awake from my shower, I headed to the kitchen to begin organizing everything I needed for breakfast. Usually it's toast or cereal in the morning but I had, what I thought, was an epiphany in the shower. My breakfast plan was twofold: 1. Cook a hot breakfast for everyone and get the day started off on a positive note, 2. Make french toast, Ivy's favorite. Hunting the vampire was going to be a difficult with a house full of chaperones, so I needed something subtle. Something the Ivy would notice as out of the ordinary but hopefully the rest of the house wouldn't recognize as special for the vampire.

I arranged everything I needed for breakfast and frowned a moment. Grabbing the deadly magic detector off the kitchen door I passed it over all the ingredients for breakfast. Nothing was cursed, but I was still feeling paranoid. Hortie had managed to steal my demon books and the sense of safety the church provided me. Sighing a moment I wondered if I should scrap everything and go to the store for new ingredients.

"Whatcha doing Rache?" Jenks asked, interrupting my brooding.

"Making breakfast for everyone…" I paused a moment.

"Want to me to take sniff of everything? I can tell if anything has been tampered with." Jenks replied softly, he had picked up on my nervousness.

"Thanks Jenks, I am being paranoid, but I can't help feeling a little violated after the episode last night and I-"

"don't want to take any chances." Jenks finished for me. "I get it Rache, no big deal, let me double check everything. Nothing gets by a pixy nose!"

I smiled at the Pixy and headed back to Ivy's bedroom, my hair was dry now and I needed the pony tail holder I had left in there last night. Sneaking into the room I was met with a small squeak of surprise. Ivy was tangled in the blankets with Serena and Kally wrapped around her. The vampire looked like a deer in the headlights.

"Rache, it's…I…no…it's not what it looks like," Ivy said in a soft, panicked voice.

My nerves settled at Ivy's tone, she didn't sound stressed, just embarrassed. When I moved over to the vampire I saw her eyes were still cinnamon, that in itself was astonishing. Other predators in the vampire's bedroom, snuggled to her, and her eyes weren't black?

Ivy fidgeted under my gaze while I looked at her trying to figure out why she wasn't vamping out . "Bubblegum," murmured Serena and she snuggled closer to Ivy's back, looping an arm around the vampire's waist. Ivy froze in place, her eyes growing impossibly larger.

I covered my mouth for a second and coughed gently to cover up my laugh. I looked down at the vampire with both eyebrows raised and a large grin on my face, "Got too close to the cuddle monsters didn't you Ivy?" The temptation to tease was too much to resist, I had no idea why Ivy wasn't vamping out, but I was going to enjoy it.

Ivy raised an eyebrow at my barely contained mirth and stated firmly, "They must think I am you." What I knew, but Ivy didn't, was that Kally and Serena's instincts considered Ivy my mate. Since Ivy was my mate, that meant she was pack and therefore fair game for snuggling.

"Serena talks in her sleep," I offered ignoring Ivy's statement and commenting on the sleeping Weres instead, "and Kally snores, good luck sleeping next to those two."

At my voice Kally stirred from her position, tucked between Ivy's neck and shoulder and looked at me. "I do not snore," she complained sleepily, obviously not really awake. Picking her head up further she looked directly at the vampire next to her, "Do I snore Ivy?"

Ivy's mouth open and closed a few times, "No. Nope, no snoring."

"See? Ivy says I don't snore." Kally retorted and then tucked herself back against Ivy, promptly falling back asleep.

The vampire's forehead was furrowed in confusion trying to figure something out, "I thought you said this snuggling thing was a pack response?"

I shrugged again, "They trust you." Which was true, the ladies did trust Ivy, she just didn't need to know the whole story yet. I am beginning to think I wasn't hunting Ivy so much as slowly stalking her.

Ivy looked at me with something that resembled wonder for a moment and slowly put her hand arm over Kally. Trust is a precious, precious thing to a living vampire.

"I am working on breakfast, why don't you sleep a little longer? I can help untangle you, but it's a long process, trust me." Ivy's eyes were still cinnamon, even wrapped up in the Weres like she was, her instincts were in check.

"That sounds good," the vampire said yawning.

Something deep in my gut warmed at the picture the three of them made, and I found myself determined to make Ivy smile that peaceful smile more often. Resisting the urge to kiss the vampire on her forehead, I headed back to the kitchen.

"Everything is clean." Jenks declared happily from the counter as I made my way back into the kitchen. I smiled at the pixy's enthusiasm; he was looking forward to the maple syrup for breakfast. Cracking eggs over a bowl, and whisking the contents together with a touch of cream, I began to make a list of things to do for the day. First step was calling Glen maybe he could help us comb through missing person reports for Hortie's witch victim. The witch wouldn't be in the F.I.B. files, but I had a feeling Glen might be able to help us access the I.S. database.

Moving to the coffeepot I got it started on the largest possible pot of coffee I could make. We needed to start looking for Hortie as well; unfortunately I was still shunned by the witch community which made the task doubly as hard. Maybe Al could give us some insights into where Hortie summoned him to, if not, Ivy would have to tap into her vampire contacts. When did being a good guy end up being so difficult?

I sliced baguettes to make toast and heard David, or Keasley, grabbing a shower in my bathroom. Grabbing a few extra things from my cabinet I added some vanilla to the egg and cream mixture and got to work. If David was up it meant the ladies would be awake soon as well, and so would Ivy. I smiled again at how peaceful Ivy had looked curled up with the Weres, that should be a greeting card somewhere.

Each piece of baguette went into the egg mixture, and then I dredged it through some sliced almonds I had found in my spice cabinet. _Overkill much?_ The voice in my head said teasing. Maybe I was going a little overboard, but I had a vampire to impress. So deep in my thoughts I didn't notice when Al entered the kitchen until he slammed a pair of mangled garden shears on the counter.

"Early morning gardening Al?" I asked in confusion.

The demon growled, "No my itchy witch, I was attempting to cut this turn take it bracelet off my wrist. That damn witch is going to wish her granddam had never met her grandsire when I get finished with her."

"How did you sleep last night?" Trying to politely steer the conversation away from death and dismemberment.

Al's eyes narrowed even further in anger, "Turn take it witch, I slept on the kitchen floor, how in the turn do you think I slept?"

Confused, "Ivy said you were going to sleep in the belfry, what happened?"

"I. AM. A. DEMON. Rachel Mariana Morgan, even without my powers I cannot cross holy ground."

The demon hissed at my confused expression.

"Itchy witch, the lead dog of your group decided you and the baby vampire needed a moment alone. The ridiculous sleeping arrangement excuse was made and we went to the dog's car to wait for the puppies in your pack."

"Al, cut the cute nicknames for Ivy and the pack. The priority is finding Hortie and getting that bracelet off you. Let's not make that task any harder than it needs to be," I ground out between clenched teeth. Damnit! We would start breakfast on a positive note if it required duct taping Al to chair and gagging him.

The demon stared at me a moment, and grinned in a way that made my stomach drop to my knees. "Tell me my itchy witch," the demon purred, "did you at least get to spend some time swapping bodily fluids with the vampire while I was gone. Hmmmm, that makes a pretty picture, maybe I will sleep better tonight.

The demon was like a lecherous old man and he was purposely goading me I realized. Closing my eyes I counted to ten and sighed. I had no idea why Al was being such an ass; I was beginning to think it was his natural personality. Besides, there was really no way I could respond to Al's taunting that wouldn't get me blasted through a wall as soon as the demon had his powers back.

So I did my best to react in a way that would catch the demon completely off guard. Turning back to the stove I rescued two pieces of french toast from burning, and snagged a few pieces of bacon cooking in a second skillet. "Would you like juice?" I asked the demon blandly, as if we hadn't been close to trading blows.

Al blinked at me, then looked down at his plate. The demon shook his head no and headed to the table and began eating. "You're getting much better itchy witchy, much better." I heard the demon whisper to himself. Creepy. The sooner we got that bracelet off the demon, the better I would feel.

Once the french toast and bacon were cooked I headed to Ivy's room to wake the occupants up for breakfast. Entering the vampire's bedroom, I gave my eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. The Weres were still sleeping peacefully curled around the vampire as if it were the most natural place to be. I crouched down and placed a hand on the softly snoring Kally to wake her.

"Breakfast?" I asked, mouthing the question silently. Kally stretched and nodded yes before waking Serena up. Both Weres headed back to the kitchen, which left me one vampire left to wake. Ivy was beautiful, and I took a moment to enjoy watching her sleep. I smiled again once I realized that Ivy's breathing patterns weren't quite slow enough for someone in slumber, she was waiting to see what I was going to do next. _Tricky, tricky vampire _I thought as I sat down next to her. Two could play at that game though. Considering my options for a moment, I rejected my first instinct which was to trace her beautiful cheekbone. No need to add fuel to her vampire instincts, just sitting this close was risky.

No, I needed something with a little more finesse, and I smiled at Ivy's form before I asked, "Did you know Ive that you are gorgeous when you're asleep?" I paused a moment, impressed that the vampire didn't so much as twitch. Smilingly I continued, "I am a little biased though, because I also think you're stunning when you first wake up too, especially when your hair is tousled, and your voice is rough from sleep." I hummed happily in my throat as I heard Ivy's breathing hitch a little. The game was kind of fun, Ivy was pretending to sleep, and now she was stuck pretending until I "woke" her up.

"I made you french toast for breakfast. Actually I made everyone french toast because it's only polite to share, but since I am being honest I really made it for you."

"French toast?" Ivy asked sleepily, like she was just waking up.

"Mmmm-hmmm, but you better hurry, you know David can pack away breakfast."

Ivy's now open eyes narrowed just a bit, "My toast."

I laughed at my vampire, and the possessiveness she displayed towards breakfast. _Your vampire? Who's possessiveness are you really laughing at? _The voice inside my head asked wryly.

"Your toast," I agreed ignoring the voice. Standing up I made my way back to the bedroom door. When my hand touched the knob, I heard Ivy's voice ask uncertainly.

"Rachel, what are you doing?"

I looked back at the vampire, she looked surprisingly vulnerable tangled up in the pallet of blankets on her floor. What I really wanted to do was walk over there, scoop her up, and kiss those lips that had been so close just moments before.

Instead I smiled at my vampire and said instead, "Hunting you."

Ivy sat ramrod straight at my answer, her eyes wide. "Hunting me?" Her voice held a mixture of disbelief, and painful hope that made my heart clench in response.

"Well witches call it dating, but yes, essentially I am hunting you." Didn't we sort of have this conversation last night? Convincing Ivy I was serious was going to take far more time than I originally thought.

"We're dating?" Ivy asked confused.

I walked back the vampire, stopped at the edge of the blankets and crouched back down to her level. "That part is up to you Ive."

Ivy looked at me, as if trying to gauge the truth in my words, "What are you saying?"

Maintaining eye contact with the vampire, "Ivy, would you go on a date with me?"

The response I got was a sharp intake of air, and a panicked expression on Ivy's face. My stomach dropped, her reaction hurt, I won't deny it. For a moment I wondered how many times this reverse situation had occurred, talk about walking in someone else's shoes.

"Ivy," I said gently, "think about it, you don't have to give me an answer now. The church was attacked, and we have a wit-"

"Why now, because the church was attacked?" Ivy asked hoarsely interrupting me.

Pausing I gave myself a moment to reply, "No, at dinner I talked to Kally about things, and she confronted me on some of my bullshit."

"So you like women now because of a conversation you had with Kally?" I couldn't decide if the vampire sounded hurt, annoyed, or relieved. For turns sake, Ivy was going to make this as hard as possible on the both of us.

"No, I am attracted to you Ivy. I am asking you, Ivy Tamwood, for a date and a chance."

"What about being bound, are you still afraid I won't be able to control myself if we share blood? It's still all or nothing Rachel, being in limbo is more than I can handle."

My pulse rate quickened at the thought of being bound, it terrified me, it was the stuff my nightmares were made of. The cinnamon in Ivy's eyes began to disappear but she held her ground, waiting for my reply. It was a fair question, and if Ivy wasn't running from it, neither could I.

Taking a deep breath I answered, "I trust you Ivy, I trust you not to bind me." It was the absolute truth, I did trust her. It reminded me that Al and I were due for a talk too, he hadn't given me a full answer on vampires binding demons yet. Shoving the thought of another conversation with Al to the back of my mind I turned my focus to the vampire in front of me.

"Ivy, may I hunt you?" I asked softly, focusing my attention on not reacting to the words that sounded so cliché in my head. The phrase was borrowed from Rynn Cormel's vampire dating guide, and I felt incredibly self conscious saying it.

The silence between us stretched into an uncomfortable amount of time. I ignored the disappointment that was threatening to overwhelm me, Ivy and I had some things to work on. This was never meant to be a fast hunt, and I was not done yet. Not by a long shot.

"Get dressed Ive, your french toast is getting cold, we can talk more later," I said gently.

With that I stood up and walked out the bedroom.

* * *

**More Ivy/Rachel time. I couldn't help it, as much as I am dying to get to the hunting Hortie part of the story (why does that sound dirty?) I couldn't leave Rachel/Ivy hanging. They kissed last chapter for goodness sakes, of course they have to talk and process. It's coded in the second X chromosome or something **

**Just as important I think it's crucial that Rachel have to fight for a relationship with Ivy. KH's books drive me crazy in that I have always felt the relationship between R/I is a bit skewed. Ivy is desperate for a relationship with Rachel. In my experience desperation is never a good platform for a lasting bond.**

**Besides, writing Rachel POV as she tries to figure out ways to woo the vampire is becoming increasingly entertaining.**


	12. Chapter 12

_**Title:**__ Life's a Witch and then you Die  
__**Author:**__ AdventureLucky7  
__**Fandom:**__ The Hollows  
__**Pairing:**__ Rachel/Ivy (Seriously I will get there, it's just going to take a bit…)  
__**Rating:**__ Mature, for language so far  
__**Disclaimer:**_ _The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story. _

_**Summary: **__What happens when Rynn Cormel forces Rachel to find answers, and she discovers answers to questions she wasn't even asking? Rachel/Ivy, Ivy/Rachel, Ravy_

"Contego!" I shouted rolling behind a tombstone, barely throwing up a shield to protect myself from three splat balls. I was getting tired, sweat was rolling down my forehead and dripping off my nose. Maybe if I got through this I should take up running again, my stamina could use the boost. A pixy child yelled behind me and my eyes widened. Taking a deep breath I tapped a leyline and absorbed as much energy as I could.

Weaving in between the tombstones I threw three more shields up before I found an opening. With my back to a tree for protection, I spun around and threw a ley energy ball at the balloon floating above a tombstone on the other side of the garden. The balloon exploded into a cloud of latex confetti, but before I could celebrate I threw my hands over my head, palms up, away from my back, "Contego!" Two more splat balls ricocheted off my shield and spiraled into the garden. The pixy children laughed in delight, scooping up the reflected ammunition before it was wasted on the ground.

I spun quickly to face Al who was grinning. The demon was holding my splat gun loosely in one hand hanging at his right side. "Nicely done Rachel Mariana Morgan, your defensive leyline magic is improving." The demon was only smiling though because we had been at this exercise for the last four hours. Already I had been hit with at least 8 sleepytime charms, and was currently soaked in a combination of sweat and salty water used to break the charms.

Not relaxing my stance, I waited for the next attack. "Truce Al?" I asked, just waiting for the demon to raise the splat gun again

"Truce my Itchy Witch, that's enough for now. Why don't you get cleaned up and we can begin practicing your curses." I nodded, slowly backing up, never turning around. We had played this scene out the last time, and the demon had nailed me in the back with a charm when I let my guard down. Closing the kitchen door I finally let myself relax, and headed for my second shower of the day.

Walking out of the bathroom, still drying my hair with a towel, I made my way back to the kitchen. Al had already set out several curse ingredients on the counter. The rest of household had left after breakfast, the french toast putting everyone in good spirits. Even Ivy had perked up a bit after Jenks had landed on her shoulder and helped knock her out of her brooding with his constant chatter.

Once Al had declared we were going to start lessons the church had cleared out fast, demon magic still made everyone nervous. The Weres had gone home to clean up and pack up belongings for an extended stay. Ivy and Jenks were out talking to Ivy's vampire contacts, and Keasley had headed home with Jih for a bit. It left me at Al's mercy to practice what he called my defensive magic. I had agreed instantly because Hortie scared the shit out of me. Any edge I could have to protect my family, which is what I now considered our hodge podge group, I would take.

The demon was nowhere to be found when I reached the kitchen, so I dropped a towel on the nearest chair and dropped in front of Ivy's computer. Regardless of the current Hortie threat, I still had Ivy hunting to do, and I was finding it to be a fantastic way to distract me from the current crisis. Vampires, according to Rynn's guide, had some very old school ideas about courtship. Secretly I hoped Google could catch me up, because right now I was very aware of the fact that everything about hunting Ivy was going to be difficult. Logging on to my account Ivy had built me on her computer, I pulled up the internet browser and went to my favorites list.

"Oh my itchy witch, what are you reading up on now?" Al breathed over my shoulder, making me jump and squeal at the same time.

Clutching my heart, I tried to slow my breathing, "Al! Don't do that! I am too young for heart attacks."

Al grabbed Ivy's laptop from me and began perusing the web page I had been reading, "Humans have this all wrong, didn't anyone write anything down from the Victorian age?" The demon muttered to himself. Sighing dramatically he leaned away from the screen, and looked directly at me with one eyebrow raised. I crossed my arms across my chest defensively, "Women like flowers, and Rynn's guide says I have to go with some…more traditional ways of courtship."

"Roses, Rachel Mariana Morgan? Did the Master Vampire's guide also say you have to be boring?" Al asked mocking me.

I scowled at the demon, "Roses are safe."

Al sighed sadly at me, "Safe? You are dating the heir to one of the most powerful vampire families in Cincinnati, and you want to play it safe? Your girlfriend rides motorcycles and could show most masters a thing or two about how to fight with a katana."

"I am new to this whole hunting thing, cut me some slack. Doesn't the thought count or something?" I grumbled.

"Orchids." Al said.

I looked at the demon is surprise.

"Start with orchids, they mean refined beauty. Which I think your vampire embodies quite well."

I nodded at the demon dumbly.

"Later I would try orange lilies, they mean desire and passion. I assume this is a slow hunt though, so I would start with the orchids."

My forehead puckered in confusion, why would Al be helping. What's the price? There is always a price.

Al crossed his arms in a defensive posture that mirrored my own. "Did it ever occur to you Rachel Mariana Morgan that before Newt killed our female kind, demons courted? That haughty elf that pines after my Cerie would like to believe we are evil, that we are the most wretched of creatures. If your time twisting curses teaches you anything, it should be that there is no such thing as pure black or pure white."

That might have been the longest speech I had ever heard from Al's lips. To be honest I had never considered demon life, or what the toll would be if suddenly one gender disappeared. Five milennia with no companionship? It did not pardon the atrocities Al had committed, or the things he had done to Cerie. Al was only one demon though, what were others like?

Looking at the demon's strained face, I knew Al wanted no pity. Whatever the demon's motivation for helping me I could not offer my thanks either, it would imply a debt needed to be paid. "Orchids it is then." I nodded my head at the demon, and the tenseness in Al's frame lessened.

"Al, tell me about vampires binding demons." It had been two days, and judging by my fatigue I could use a little more time before attempting any demon curses.

Sitting down in the chair across from mine, Al pushed the laptop out his line of site. "A vampire has only bound a demon a few times in our recorded history. From what I gathered in the library the results are…unpredictable."

I leaned back in my chair and motioned for the demon to continue, Ivy and I both needed the answer to this question.

"Almost always the binding will drive either the vampire or the demon mad. It depends on which of the two has a stronger will, but since vampires are not made for leyline energy it makes the binding unstable. When a bound demon uses leyline energy it may ricochet off the vampire and back to the demon driving them mad. If the demon is stronger the leyline energy will be absorbed by the vampire, driving the vampire mad."

"You said almost always."

Al sighed a moment, and rubbed his face in a very human like gesture of frustration, "Only once in our history has a vampire bound a demon successfully. The demon's name was Aella, the vampire's name has been lost."

"Did she keep her free will?" I asked.

Al grinned at my question, "Oh most definitely, Aella was a force to reckoned with. Being bound to a vampire did not change that in the least" My mind registered the affection Al had when he spoke of Aella, it made me wonder what kind of relationship the two had.

"And she was still able to twist demon curses?"

"Yes she was."

"What happened to her?"

"She was Newt's sister." Al answered softly. My mind reeled, I knew what that meant, Newt had killed Aella. Turn take it, the thought of going anywhere near Newt made me want to hide under my bed.

"Aella had journals." Al's voice broke through my thoughts. I looked up at the demon and he continued, "Aella was a meticulous note taker, and her situation was unique." I felt a small trickle of hope, if Aella had been able to be bound to a vampire, and still use her magic, there might be a chance for Ivy and myself. _When did being bound to Ivy sound like a good idea?_ The voice in my head asked.

The voice was right, when did I decide being bound to Ivy might be a good idea? I shook my head; maybe this wasn't about me being bound to Ivy necessarily. Maybe this was more about removing an obstacle. I wanted to hunt Ivy, and we didn't need my unconscious terror flaring up at a bad time. Ivy had worked so hard to form a blood bound with me without sex, she had broken through limitations I could only imagine. My response? I subconsciously reacted in terror, my mind flashing back to the night on Kisten's boat when I had almost been bound by his attacker. If I could help it, I would make sure Ivy never faced that kind of self loathing again.

"Where are Aella's journals?" I asked.

Al took a deep breath, and I knew I wasn't going to like the answer, "You will have to ask the vampires, Aella lived on this side of the line. My guess is that her vampire would have been in possession of the journals" How in the turn had a demon managed to live on this side of the line?

"You don't even know the vampire's name?"

Al shrugged, "Why would we?"

"You do remember you are talking to the witch who broke into the ever-after to get a familiar sample? There was an alphabetical listing of every familiar who has ever served a demon."

"Familiars serve a purpose. We don't track every demon lover; there isn't enough space in all of the ever-after for that."

I made a face at the demon; I really hoped this conversation didn't go much farther. The last thing I wanted to hear about is the demon birds and the bees. "I will talk to Ivy; maybe the vampires can shed light on where the journals are kept."

Al nodded and herded me to the kitchen counter to begin working demon curses.

* * *

Several hours of demon curses later I was slumped over the kitchen counter in exhaustion. I was secretly hoping someone would be willing to order to takeout. The phone was only five steps away, which was just too far to move my body right now. My stomach rumbled and that still wasn't enough incentive to get up.

The doorbell rang and I groaned, my head now resting on the kitchen counter. Maybe whoever was at the door would leave. The doorbell rang again to spite me, and I cursed fate that had left me alone with the pixie hoard who were unable to open the front door. Maybe I could talk Matalina into letting me turn her big, like I had Jenks. At least someone besides me would be available for door duty then. _Riiiiiiight, melodramatic much? _The voice in my head mocked. I ignored it and shuffled to the door. The pixy child stationed to guard the front door gave me a thumbs up; whoever was on the other side was a friend. Opening the door I was greeted by one of Rynn Cormel's men, behind him was a stack of boxes and a dolly.

"Mr. Cormel asked me to deliver these books to Ms. Morgan." I stood aside and watched Rynn's delivery man wheel in three stacks of boxes. _When was I going to find time to read all of this?_ I wondered. "Rynn should consider audio books." I muttered to myself.

Serena and Kally bounded into the hallway, having just gotten back to the church, and skidded in front of the three giant stacks of boxes. The ladies looked at me and I motioned that they could open the boxes. Before I knew it the entire entryway was covered in books and shredded cardboard. Rynn's man had backpedaled quickly through the front door, trying to avoid the enthusiastic Weres.

"How to Bind your Bond?" Serena squeaked, holding up a book to me. The Were was desperately trying to hold in her amusement, but ended up in the floor in tears and laughter.

"Wait, wait! I have a better one! Leatherbound: Breaking your Bond In" Kally howled with laughter. I was beginning to wonder if I should have been more specific when I told Rynn I needed to better understand vampire binding.

I looked up from my seat on the floor and jumped when I noticed Ivy looking down on all three of us, the corners of her mouth turned upward taking in the scene. "Do I want to know what the three of you are up to, and why there are vampires books scattered all over the hall?"

Still chuckling Serena handed Ivy the book she had been looking at a few moments earlier. When the vampire read the title she blushed slightly, and cleared her throat, "Don't knock it until you try it ladies." Ivy handed me the book smilingly slightly, and stepped around us to walk down the hall. I watched her walk away, her hips swaying slightly. My heartbeat accelerated with every step the vampire took.

"Rachel, you might need to read up. I think you are going to need it" Kally murmured.

I leaned over to Kally, "You do know that Ivy can hear better than you can."

The Were shrugged, "I only speak the truth my friend." All three of us started when we heard Ivy's laugh drift down the hallway, sneaky damn vamp.

"Let's get these into Ivy's room and you guys can help me sort." I said.

Serena chuckled, "Sure, how do you want to sort these?"

"Probably on a scale of slight blush to super nova depending on the content," I muttered.

Kally began picking the books up and glanced at Serena, "Why do I have a feeling hanging out with Rachel and Ivy is going to be both entertaining and educational?" Ignoring the bantering Weres I picked up a stack of books and went to Ivy's room.

Walking into the room I saw Ivy near her bedstand, the curtains were thrown open to let in the daylight. The vampire was lightly brushing her finger over one of the four purple orchids I had asked Keasley to purchase for me today. There was also an orchid in the bathroom, one in the kitchen, and the fourth had a prominent place in the garden. Keasley said he had found a florist who had a few more if I wanted them. I had already spoken to Jenks, and the pixy had plans for where the next three would go.

"Did you know," I spoke conversationally, "that orchids mean refined beauty?"

Ivy stopped a moment and looked my way, "Yes, but how did you know?"

"A combination of Google and Al's Victorian era knowledge."

Ivy grimaced a moment at the thought of Al having anything to do with picking out her gift. I quickly added, "He was very worried I was going to end up picking out something like carnations, which are apparently tricky and tacky. Floriography is far more complicated than I thought it would be."

"Floriography? Who knew your demon lessons would involve flowers." Ivy said softly.

"It was a floral and vocabulary lesson all rolled into one," I responded, laughing softly.

The silence stretched for a moment, I was really getting tired of these awkward silences between us. It forced me to say gushy things, and since I was in a house full of heightened hearing, it meant everyone was a witness to my mushy side. _No time for pride, suck it up witch _the voice in my head said firmly.

"That's what I think about you when I look at you Ivy, refined beauty." The vampire smiled at my words, but I decided to go full on mush.

"I am not talking just about your outward appearance Ive," I said softly, "you are breathtaking, no doubt. The refined beauty though, it's something much more than the way you look. It's why those kids in the hospital wing adore you, and I have it on good authority you do the best voices when it's your turn to read stories. It's the reason why the pixie hoard begs you to stay for movie night, and why you put up with _Finding Nemo_ almost every week."

Ivy stood absolutely still, and I figured I might as well finish everything I had to say, "It's in your wicked sense of humor when you let it peek out, and why I trust you to watch my back completely."

The vampire still said nothing and I leaned against the doorway for support, hoping I hadn't scared her off. _At least she hasn't thrown you into a wall like she did when you kissed her_ the voice in my head offered helpfully. We were making progress, it was glacial but at least it was in a forward direction.

Ivy was still silent and the palms of my hands began to sweat, I couldn't stay here much longer. My nervousness over her lack of response was about to throw her instincts into high gear, and I couldn't afford that. Hunting Ivy needed to be as pheromone free as I could make it.

A slight clearing of Ivy's throat caught my attention, "Purple is my favorite color."

Looking up at Ivy I thought I saw a small glimmer of moisture around her eyes. Turn take it, I am pretty sure making the lady you are hunting cry is a bad sign. I could feel the strong emotions rolling off Ivy, and I stood up off the doorway. Time to give the vampire space again, Al was right, I am glad I didn't go with the orange lilies just yet.

"I know Ivy, that's why I made sure the orchids were purple."

With that I left the room, maybe Kally and Serena would be willing to go on a run with me.

* * *

**I am thinking Rachel probably shouldn't have told Ivy that Al helped with the floral choice. Nerves make people say the strangest things. A little more action this time, Al prepping Rachel for a confrontation with Hortie (Everytime I type Hortie I am convinced a little more that it sounds like a very nasty disease you would catch in a rainforest somewhere.).**

**Personally I am most shocked by Al helping Rachel with her floral choices, relieved, but still shocked. (Roses really are boring, just my personal opinion…don't even get me started on baby's breath.) Still, it makes me wonder, what is that demon up to?**

**As always, thank you for the reviews. I enjoy the feedback and the different interpretations of both my writing and KH's. It definitely makes me think :)**


	13. Chapter 13

_**Title:**__ Life's a Witch and then you Die  
__**Author:**__ AdventureLucky7  
__**Fandom:**__ The Hollows  
__**Pairing:**__ Rachel/Ivy (Seriously I will get there, it's just going to take a bit…)  
__**Rating:**__ Mature, for language so far  
__**Disclaimer:**_ _The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story. _

_**Summary: **__What happens when Rynn Cormel forces Rachel to find answers, and she discovers answers to questions she wasn't even asking? Rachel/Ivy, Ivy/Rachel, Ravy_

It was dusk before the ladies and I were actually able to make it out of the church for a run. With Hortie on the loose I decided the run would have to be short, and Jenks had decided to join us as our lookout. Under Jenk's watchful eye I was able to relax and focus on burning off some of the excess stress from the last few days.

We didn't speak for the first two miles, and I was enjoying the easy, comfortable silence with the Weres. Even Jenks, who was flying behind us carefully watching our surroundings, was quiet. The four of us slowed when we neared a water fountain in the park, and took turns getting a quick drink of water.

"We should probably turn back; it's another two miles back to the church." Kally said while she put her foot on the curb and stretched her calf. I nodded at the Were, by the time we got to the church it would be dark.

Jenks flew into my vision suddenly, "Rachel, I smell more Were's and they're coming from the West, not too far off." The ladies looked at me for a second in confusion.

"There shouldn't be any other packs around here; no one has claimed the area around your church as territory." Serena said, looking at Kally for confirmation.

Kally nodded her agreement, "Jenks is right though, they're coming our way," the Were sniffed the air a moment, "and I think they're hunting." A wolf howl sounded in the distance, coming from the path we had taken from the church. Three more answered the first.

"They found their trail." Kally said in confusion, "but what in the turn are they hunting?"

A fifth howl came from somewhere behind us and I answered with a sinking feeling in my stomach, "They're hunting us I think."

Both Weres looked at me, their eyes impossibly huge. Two new Weres, plus one witch and a pixy against a hunting pack of five. Did all of Cincinnati have a target on my back this week? God help me if I managed to piss of the pixie nation too, I could survive demons, vampires, and Weres. I didn't stand a damn chance if I pissed off the pixies.

"Kally, Serena, can you contact David and shift? You will be faster in your Were form." I asked while grabbing the cell phone I had stuffed in the back of my running shirt. Both Weres nodded and began to strip. I turned to give them some privacy and dialed the church.

"Rachel!" Ivy answered, sounding stressed, "David is worried, Serena and Kally are shifting."

"I know," I answered and gave the vampire the fastest explanation I could manage. "We are going to try and circle around and head back to the church without dealing with this pack. I don't know what they want."

"We'll head that way and try to intercept before you meet up with the pack."

"Ivy, someone needs to stay and guard Al, remember we have an agreement with the demon." There was silence, and then Ivy growled her frustration.

"If all else fails Ive I will draw a circle with everyone in it until David can meet up with us. We need to go."

"Be careful." I heard the vamp say softly before she hung up the phone. Turning I saw that the ladies were in their Were form. I tucked my phone in the back of my running jersey, and took off to the left.

We were about a mile away from the church when I heard the wolves howl again, uncomfortably close. Serena and Kally growled low in their throats, glancing back every few steps. None of us were comfortable with the threat to our back. Luckily we were almost to the neighborhood, I seriously doubted a pack would try anything so close to potential witnesses.

Just a few minutes from the safety of the house something in the recesses of my mind flickered to the forefront. David and I had a conversation about pack hunting, and my eyes widened; we were headed for a trap.

I slowed and snagged the Weres ruffs when they looked at me in confusion. "Rhombus," I invoked my circle, ignoring the ladies' confusion. David had once explained, in one of our marathon Werewolf lessons, that pack hunting involves splitting the wolves into two groups. One group to flush out the prey, and a second, made up of more experienced wolves, to circle around the target. Essentially the pack surrounds their target, making it nearly impossible to escape.

As the circle enclosed us, the black smut on my aura swirling over our heads, I saw two large, furry shapes emerge from the shadows just a few feet from where the neighborhood began.

"Tinks knickers, what in the turn do those mutts want?" Jenks muttered, fluttering down to my shoulder. The Weres pressed their bodies to my legs, panting. Kally managed to spare a glance and huff at Jenk's mutt comment.

While we caught our breath, the five hunting Werewolves formed a loose circle around us. Serena and Kally growled at the attackers, baring their canines in warning. Crouching down I ran my fingers through the fur around their ears, trying to calm them both.

One of the Weres shifted, his human form made me wonder if he was the love child of the Brawny paper towel man and a bridge troll. "Witch, you will come with us," the male growled menacingly, puffing his chest out. I am sure the Were was going for intimidation, but he obviously knew nothing about me. Jenk's and his pixing abilities are far more frightening, hell the Pixie Hoard watching Barney is more frightening.

Serena sneezed and then looked up at me, her tongue rolling out of her mouth in a silent wolf laugh. The male on the other side circle snarled, again going for intimidation.

"You know Trey, threats only work if you can back them up." David drawled as he strolled towards us, wearing his leather trench coat. My alpha's tone conveyed bored disinterest, but I saw his eyes flash in anger. I was tempted to drop my circle, but waited for a signal from David. Were politics are still a mystery to me.

The strange Were, who I assumed was Trey, backed up a few steps and looked down to the ground in submission, not an Alpha then. A female to the right of Trey shifted, she looked like she belonged in a Miss America pageant complete with blonde hair, green eyes, and a perfect figure. The female Were stood once she finished shifting, not a natural blonde I corrected myself.

"Mrs. Sarong sent us to bring the witch back to the hospital." The blonde explained. My curiosity was piqued, I liked Mrs. Sarong, and we sort-of bonded when she kicked me out of her baseball stadium for scaring her players with charms meant to drive their superstitions into high gear. It was in retaliation of a job her baseball club had hired me to complete, and then refused to pay. There was mutual respect between us, and I wondered what I had done to piss her off.

"If Mrs. Sarong sent you to attack my alpha, then she apparently needs a lesson in pack hospitality," David growled.

All five of the Weres from the hunting pack growled their displeasure.

"If the witch will not come with us then I will challenge her Alpha status." The blonde growled back at David. At that point something deep inside me snapped, and I felt my eyes narrow.

"Rhombus." I barked suddenly dropping my shield, Serena and Kally were instantly on their feet, guarding my sides and back. Taking a quick breath I tapped a line, and I shifted to my second site. Ivy says I look my scariest when I am tapped into the ever-after. I look soul weary, as if I don't belong in this world. I felt the wind of the ever-after lift the hair around my face like a red halo.

"You want to challenge me for alpha status?" I asked, sounding far calmer than I felt. "Did you know that I have been challenged twice for my status?" The Were swallowed, and her lack of answer told she didn't.

"The first time I was challenged they tethered my power to make it impossible for me to fight back." Slowly I let a bright, blue ball of leyline energy form in my hand until it was the size of a grapefruit and I waited a moment, looking at the energy as if considering it

I continued, "the second time I shifted into a wolf, a form I had never fought in. Both times I was at a disadvantage; both times I defended my alpha status." I tasted each word, letting the blonde fester in her nervousness. In all honesty both stories were a little more complicated, and involved a lot more luck, but she didn't need know that.

Rotating my hand I let leyline ball slide to the back of my hand, and shifted knuckles so that the blue ball of energy danced across the back of my hand. "Tell me little wolf, what chance do you stand in a fair fight when I have full access to my power?" The whole thing from my prose to the leyline energy in my hand was over the top, but Weres don't understand subtlety.

I snapped my eyes back to the blonde Were, noticing that she had paled considerably. Good, let my reputation grow a bit in the Were community. Let them think twice about underestimating me, and attacking my pack members. I felt myself smile coldly in satisfaction when all five Weres dropped their eyes. It was a sign of submission, my message had been received.

Slowly I let the ball of energy drain back into the leyline, and I moved my focus away from my second site. David glanced my way and nodded once in approval before he turned back to the cowering Weres and asked, "Now, let's try this again, who wants to explain why Mrs. Sarong is at the hospital, and why she needs my alpha's help?"

Brawny paper towel Were answered, "Mrs. Sarong's daughter was attacked and is unconscious at the hospital. It's some kind of witch magic, but none of the witches at the hospital will even enter the room." The last part came out bitterly, as if the Were were contemplating revenge on every witch in the hospital.

"And you decided to hunt us instead of picking up a phone to call, why?" I asked.

"Mrs. Sarong said to get the witch−" Serena interrupted the blonde Were with a deep, warning growl. The female Were swallowed again, "Sorry, Mrs. Sarong asked that we bring Ms. Morgan to the hospital, whatever it took."

"You took that to mean you should attack an alpha of a Were pack?" David asked incredulously.

All five of the cowering Weres looked guiltily at one another. Turn help us, I will never understand the Were thought process. "You do know that I would have come if you had just called, as a courtesy to another Alpha?" I asked the wolves, watching helplessly as they shifted nervously. I glanced at David for understanding, surely this was a joke.

My alpha shrugged his shoulders, "Instincts sometimes take over, and it sounds like the pack is feeling especially protective because one of their own is injured. My guess is that Mrs. Sarong would have been more careful with her instructions if she wasn't deeply worried about her daughter."

I considered the situation, and wondered what kind of attack would keep healing witches away from a patient. "We'll meet you at the hospital in an hour," I said running my fingers through my hair. At the very least I was going to take a shower, and give the ladies a chance to change. Plus there was a distraught vampire to calm at home, and a demon to check on. I wondered briefly if my life had ever been normal.

I turned my back and headed back to the church but not before I heard David say, "And when we get to the hospital Mrs. Sarong and I are also going to have a long talk about pack courtesies." I thought I heard one of the wolves whine in response.

* * *

"No Al, not going to happen." I muttered to the demon and turned my back to him to get a cup of coffee. "Can you imagine what would happen if we showed up at the hospital with a demon? I am already shunned, I don't need the Were community hunting me down too!" The demon ignored my ranting, just studying his fingernails.

When I paused to take a breath the Al spoke again, "My itchy witch, all I need is a change of clothes, a pair of sunglasses, and a scent amulet."

"Not going to happen." I growled back.

"Tell me Rachel Mariana Morgan, what kind of charm do you think it would take to keep healing witches from a patient?"

"A black charm is my guess, something pretty nasty," I answered the demon without thinking.

"If it were only a black charm, then it would simply require salt water and healing charms to save the poor Were. A healing witch wouldn't avoid a patient for being a victim of a black charm."

The coffee in my mouth suddenly tasted like ashes. "It's a demon curse," I said softly. Al hummed his pleasure at my answer.

"And my dear Itchy Witch, if it is a demon curse, what hope do you have of reversing it by yourself?"

Damn the demon, damn him to the turn and back. I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. Before I could turn to find the demon a scent amulet I heard Ivy's voice call from down the hall, "I'm going too Rachel."

"Fan-freaking-tastic," I muttered while I dug through the cabinet, "why don't we invite all forty-nine pixies and a marching band while we are at it. Better yet, I know some fairies and I could probably round up a leprechaun." The demon chuckled at my frustration and I tossed him a scent amulet as I headed to my bedroom for spare clothes.

* * *

**Sorry this chapter took so long, I have really been struggling with the direction of the next few chapters. You know how sometimes you know where you want the story to end up, but it's the transition to that point that's a struggle?**

**I think I finally have a handle on how to get there.**

**Thanks for reading :)**


	14. Chapter 14

_**Title:**__ Life's a Witch and then you Die  
__**Author:**__ AdventureLucky7  
__**Fandom:**__ The Hollows  
__**Pairing:**__ Rachel/Ivy (Seriously I will get there, it's just going to take a bit…)  
__**Rating:**__ Mature, for language so far  
__**Disclaimer:**_ _The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story. _

_**Summary: **__What happens when Rynn Cormel forces Rachel to find answers, and she discovers answers to questions she wasn't even asking? Rachel/Ivy, Ivy/Rachel, Ravy_

"David," I turned to my alpha, "did you use the focus when we were in the park to calm Mrs. Sarong's wolves down?"

David glanced my way before answering, "Almost, but they are young and easily intimidated by an Alpha." The Were shifted his body to face me and grinned, "Besides, you nearly made them wet themselves."

Looking down the hallway I saw about fifteen Weres crowded outside a hospital door. Even from a distance I could see that they were agitated and I glanced sideways at David, "Do me a favor? Use it this time; the nurses will probably have a fit if we start a brawl in the hallway." David's answer was a bark of laughter.

Our group approached the pack of Were's slowly. Ivy was in the back, providing cover, while Al and the ladies stayed just behind us. Jenks bounced on my earring whistling the theme song from The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

One of the wolves must have alerted Mrs. Sarong to our presence, because she was at the front of the pack by the time we made our way to the hallway. The formidable Were looked poised as ever, but her red rimmed eyes hinted at her distress.

The Alpha gestured to an open door, across the hall from the pack of Weres. My mismatched pack filed in, and we took our seats around a conference room table. Mrs Sarong, and three of her pack sat across from us. For a moment silence reigned, until Mrs. Sarong produced a business card and slid it across the table.

I cocked my head in confusion for a moment, but when I looked down my blood ran cold. In precise block letters, that I was beginning to recognize quickly, were the letters, "H.L.G." Turn take it, what in the hell did Hortie have to do with all this?

Beside me I felt Ivy tense, no doubt the vampire had also read the card. Mentally I braced myself and flipped the business card over, on the back it read, "Tick tock Rachel Mariana Morgan, tick tock."

A vibration began resounding through my bones, it took me a moment to realize all three of my Were pack members, plus Ivy, were growling. Jenks darted above my head, his pixy dust an ugly shade of crimson red.

"Where did you find this?" My eyes metthe Alpha's across the table from me.

"My pack found it on my daughter's forehead when they discovered her wounded in the alleyway. It's obviously a message for us and someone has a grudge against you. I want to know what in the turn is going on. Now." Mrs. Sarong delivered her demand in a voice that would have caused frostbite had I been sitting any closer.

I tapped my fingers on the desk in front of me while I considered the Weres. Mrs. Sarong had every right to know who had attacked her daughter, no wonder her pack had been distressed enough to hunt me. The trick, however, was to have this conversation in a way that wouldn't result in pack fight in the middle of a hospital.

"H.L.G. stands for Hortence Lenora Granville, and she is a very powerful, black witch. As for her grudge of against me, her motives are still TBD." My answer was brief, but truthful. Mrs. Sarong would have smelled a lie instantly.

"Why my daughter?" Mrs. Sarong asked.

David put a hand on my shoulder and answered for me, "My best guess is that Hortence is staking territory in Cincy, and Rachel is standing in the way of that. This must be some kind of distraction and what better way to do that than to begin a pack feud?"

"Then this black witch is looking for a diversion, and planned on using my pack for that purpose?" The pack alpha never took her eyes from mine. David may have answered, but the conversation was between Mrs. Sarong and myself. .

"Hortie underestimated you." I said relaxing into the chair, it was both truth and a little flattery rolled into statement. . I saw a brief smile ghost across Mrs. Sarong's features at at my words.

"A mistake, Ms. Morgan, which I hope she continues to make. It will make our hunt that much swifter" The Alpha's lips curled back just enough to bare her teeth, and I saw Mrs. Sarong as the wrathful parent she was.

"Be careful, Hortie is dabbling in some of the darkest arts there are. There are boundaries she has crossed that would probably give us all nightmares." I warned the Alpha, knowing in that instant Hortie could kill the entire pack. Tick tock is what the note had said, Hortie was right; I was quickly running out of time before she escalated the . Sarong nodded her head in understanding, "Mr. Hue, Ms. Morgan, I would also like to extend my sincere apologies for earlier this evening. I have already addressed the situation with the wolves that attempted to hunt you and your pack."

David inclined his head, "Apology accepted, this is a difficult time for your pack."

Mrs. Sarong glanced to the conference room door behind her, "Yes, but still not excuse for bad behavior, I am using it as a "coaching" opportunity." The Were grinned briefly at her statement.

"A coaching opportunity?" I asked, more out of curiosity than anything. The Were Alpha looked very amused.

"Oh yes," Mrs Sarong said with pleasure, "Ms. Tamwood was kind enough to provide the hospital volunteer contact information. They will be candy stripers for the next three months."

"Candy stripers?" I laughed, trying to picture the Brawny Paper Towel Were in a uniform.

"Even better," Ivy interrupted, "the hospital didn't have enough volunteer spots, but they did have some orderly openings. Mrs. Sarong's Weres will be cleaning bedpans for the next three months."

Mrs. Sarong's eyes widened at Ivy's statement and suddenly the Alpha Were burst into laughter. Ivy sat back smugly, looking like the cat that ate the canary.

"Nicely played vampire, were you able to still secure them candy striper uniforms?" The Were asked.

Ivy smiled just enough to show the tips of her fangs, "FedEx is shipping them overnight."

Mrs. Sarong wiped her eyes, and still chuckling turned to me" You chose well Ms. Morgan."

I was about to ask what in the turn the Alpha Were meant when there was a knock on the door. A young Were walked in and whispered something into Mrs. Sarong's ear. The tension in the room built again and awkwardly the Alpha turned back to me and took a breath

"May I see her?" I interrupted, doing my best to spare Mrs. Sarong the pain of asking me for help. To ask for assistance outside of the pack is difficult for an Alpha and is bordering on the edge of perceived weakness. The infighting within the Were community had bred a deeply necessary need for self reliance. By circumventing a request from Mrs. Sarong I allowed her to save face amongst her pack, it was a small courtesy, one born out of respect for the Were and guilt for inadvertently dragging her daughter into this fight.

The Were's demeanor dipped just a moment as she struggled for control of her facial features. "Of course Ms. Morgan, Emily is just down the hall."

As I moved towards the door Mrs. Sarong's stopped me gently with a hand on my arm, "I must request that only you enter the room, the doctors are concerned about infection."

I glanced back to see several scowling faces that belonged to my group, "My cousin is familiar with witch magic, I would like his help." I answered the Were, knowing whatever was behind that door would require Al's help. It was a small lie, but a necessary one.

Al and I entered a small area just outside the hospital room to don sterile masks and gowns. Entering the low lit room I headed to the patient's bed, the Were in the bed looked like a younger replica of her mother. The young Were's face was a myriad of bruises, as if she had been struck repeatedly. Looking closely I saw that the Were's chest was heavily bandaged, one leg was in a cast, and her hands sported several wounds from what I assumed was self protection. Emily was a fighter, of that I had no doubt.

I turned when the door to the hospital room opened and a doctor walked in followed closely by a nurse. The doctor looked to be in her early forties, about 5' 4', and Latina. "You must be Ms. Morgan," the doctor stepped toward metaking my hand in a brief handshake, "I am Dr. Herrara, Mrs. Sarong told me you would be the consulting witch on this case." I nodded dumbly at the cover story Mrs. Sarong must have provided.

The doctor quickly introduced herself to Al and then headed over to Emily. "We currently have her on heavy medication in a chemically induced coma. It gives the body a chance to heal, and saves her from pain." I didn't bother to tell the doctor that there were several charms that could achieve the same thing, humans and their medicine.

"However, the real problem is that the wound refuses to coagulate and it's been three days. Nothing I know of will stop the bleeding, and now the greatest danger is infection." The doctor explained as she peeled away bandages. I swallowed hard at what I saw, it looked like someone had hit the Were with a small explosion. Third degree burns covered most of Emily's chest, and the edges of the wound were blackened. The scent of burnt flesh wafted from the bed.

Al drifted closer to the patient, and I shifted to my second site to get a better look. When I touched the ever-after I saw that Emily's chest was covered by a black, oily film. The film pulsed in time with the Were's heartbeat and I stepped closer, trying to figure out what I was seeing.

"We've seen enough, re-bandage her wound." Al's command broke through my concentration and I jerked in surprise as did the doctor and nurse. Switching back to my normal site I raised both eyebrows at the demon. "We need to talk to her dam," Al answered and headed back out the hospital room door. I moved quickly to follow. Turn take it, what was the demon up to now?

Al and I walked out of hospital room, and everyone's head swiveled in our direction at the sound of the opening door. "Can we meet in the conference room?" I asked in lieu of any forthcoming explanation from the demon. Ivy moved behind me as soon as I walked out of the hospital room and I felt the tension in my shoulders begin to melt.

Mrs. Sarong was followed by her three Weres and she moved easily to sit at the head of the table. Sitting down the Were folded her hands on top of the table, using the table to brace herself slightly for what we had to say.

"So tell me Ms. Morgan, what did you find?" Mrs. Sarong asked once we were all settled. I explained to the Were about the black film on her daughter's chest and cringed at the question I knew was coming next.

"How do we remove it?" The Were asked immediately.

"That's up to you wolf." Al said, leaning back in his chair the demon removed his sunglasses, and revealed his goat slit eyes. Mrs. Sarong and her Weres growled and knocked their chairs to the floor in a swift, defensive motion. I could feel Ivy tense next to me, bracing herself for an attack.

Mrs. Sarong crouched and snarled her rage, "You brought a demon to my daughter's bedside, without a protective circle?"

"Tell me Were, how do you expect to remove a demon curse without a demon?" Al asked completely unaffected by the four enraged Weres across the table. Silence rocked the room for a brief moment as the demon's question stunned the Alpha. I saw Mrs. Sarong pale, no doubt horrified at what this meant for her daughter.

Trying to salvage the situation I explained, "Your daughter was not in danger from this demon, we took precautions to ensure her safety." The Alpha's eyes swiveled from the demon to meet mine.

"What kind of precautions?"

"The kind that prevents me from harming your cub." Al answered for me.

Mrs. Sarong paused for a moment as if to weigh the demon's words. "Demons cannot lie." The alpha stated slowly, glancing up to David for confirmation. My alpha nodded his acquiescence and added, "I would not have allowed him to step foot in this hospital if I thought Emily would be in any danger." I would probably need to give Mrs. Sarong and her pack a crash course in demonology later, but I didn't have time to explain all the loopholes that Al could find to that rule.

The Weres surrounding Mrs. Sarong began to pick up chairs, and soon all four Weres were seated again. "How do we remove it?" Mrs. Sarong asked again, this time her professional persona firmly back in place.

The demon steepled his fingers and cocked his head slightly before answering the Were, "Tell me wolf, what price will you pay to save your offspring?" Mrs. Sarong's nostrils flared a moment and I saw the Alpha wrestle with the question. As a mother Mrs. Sarong would no doubt give anything to save Emily. As pack Alpha she was honor bound to put her pack above everything else. It was a position I did not envy.

"Tell me what price you demand demon." Mrs. Sarong answered and internally I applauded her boldness. Simpering with Al would get you nothing but trouble, respect had to be demanded.

Al didn't answer at first, letting the silence in the room sit heavily around us. The demon leaned forward slowly a few moments later, resting is elbows on the table and putting his chin in palm of his right hand. "I demand no price wolf; Rachel Mariana Morgan is the one who must remove the curse."

All eyes in the room were immediately on me and I felt myself pale a bit. Damn the demon, it was a test and we both knew it. Admitting I could remove the curse would mean the pack would know that I was more than a witch. What in the turn kind of game was Al playing? My options were limited though. The pack knew the demon couldn't tell a lie, and Al had told them I could remove the curse. Refuse to help Mrs. Sarong and I was risking a pack feud.

I straightened my back and locked eyes with Mrs. Sarong while I considered the situation. Part of me wanted to offer my services for free, it was a compassionate gesture that would tick Al off. Yet there was pride and honor at stake here. The wolf pack would rather have a debt acknowledged and a path to payment available. Accepting help for free would be anathema to them. Just as important, there was a lesson here that Al had decided to teach me, and I knew that I could not save Emily without a personal price.

I turned my head to look at my demon teacher and asked, "I assume that our original agreement still stands?" The demon cocked an eyebrow at me for a moment, and smiled smugly. I was asking the demon if removing the curse from Emily fell under the agreement we had as teacher and student. The demon nodded his acquiescence and said, "Yes, Rachel Mariana Morgan, I will supervise removing the curse."

**

* * *

**

**I have to extend a huge thank you to DragonLord1776 for this chapter, without her I wouldn't have posted it. The dynamic alpha dynamic between Mrs. Sarong and Rachel gave me a lot of trouble. DragonLord1776 pointed out that I was completely missing Ivy's voice who is an alpha in her own right. With my beta writer's suggestions on how to help Ivy make her mark on the chapter I was able to finally find the balance and humor that had been eluding me.**

**Hope you guys enjoy :)**


	15. Chapter 15

_**Title:**__ Life's a Witch and then you Die  
__**Author:**__ AdventureLucky7  
__**Fandom:**__ The Hollows  
__**Pairing:**__ Rachel/Ivy (Seriously I will get there, it's just going to take a bit…)  
__**Rating:**__ Mature, for language so far  
__**Disclaimer:**_ _The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story. _

_**Summary: **__What happens when Rynn Cormel forces Rachel to find answers, and she discovers answers to questions she wasn't even asking? Rachel/Ivy, Ivy/Rachel, Ravy_

Al turned his gaze back to the wolves, "and now we discuss a price."

Mrs. Sarong looked disgusted as she looked between the demon and myself. I opened my mouth to speak and Al interrupted, "Hush Rachel Mariana Morgan, listen and learn." The demon's teacher voice was firmly in place so I sat back and watched the exchange with interest.

The demon and Alpha Were regarded one another for a moment. "Obviously Ms. Morgan is more than a witch, even more than a black witch." Mrs. Sarong stated. Al made no move, and somehow managed to look more bored than usual.

Silence stretched, and Mrs. Sarong cleared her throat, "Help my daughter and you buy my silence and that of my pack." The Alpha Were crinkled her nose when she looked in my direction again.

"Your silence little wolf? Is that all you have to offer?" The Weres bared their teeth and the one sitting to Mrs. Sarong's right growled, "We offer silence to protect your little abomination of nature. What creature possesses a demon's power but does not have to return to the Ever After before sunrise?" Ivy hissed behind me but Al held up a hand to silence her.

"Who would believe you?" the demon asked.

Silence fell across the room as the Were's considered the question. "What price do you ask Ms. Morgan?" the Alpha Were asked, her teeth gritted. Al leaned back in his chair, a smirk on his features.

"Your silence for starters, and a price to be determined in the future. Each member of your pack is to wear Rachel's mark." Mrs. Sarong let out a bark of laughter, "That I can't do. To ask each member of my pack to belong to a demon, that is beyond my authority."

"No one says you belong to a demon, you simply owe a favor to one who can remove a demon's curse." Al said breezily.

"My pack's silence I guarantee, and only I will wear the mark." The alpha stated firmly. One of the Mrs. Sarong's Weres opened his mouth to argue but was silenced by a grim look from his Alpha.

Al leaned back in his chair, and glanced at me with a smile, "Do you accept Rachel Mariana Morgan?"

"I do." I answered.

"Do you remember how to apply a mark?" My demon teacher asked, and I nodded my head.

Quickly I drew a circle in the conference room with myself and Mrs. Sarong inside. "Where would you like me to put the mark?" I asked the Were. The Alpha seemed startled at my question at first, but quickly rolled up her sleeve to expose her forearm.

"Never did I think I would make a deal with a demon." Mrs. Sarong stated morosely.

"I am not a demon, and I am not a black witch." I stated firmly. "I didn't think I would ever have to deal with demons either and yet here I am, taking smut on my soul again."

"Again?" The Alpha Were asked with disgust.

My blood boiled and my eyes pricked with tears of shame. I was about to do turn knows what to save her daughter, asked only for silence and a favor I would work hard never to call in…and what did this Alpha offer in return? Judgement. Fuck no.

"I hope you sleep well tonight Mrs. Sarong knowing that I carry smut on my soul to save your daughter. Judge me all you like, but the world doesn't operate in black and white. Sometimes you have to work in one of the shades of grey, and that means you end up sacrificing part of yourself. If you're lucky you live to see it was worth it."

Before the Were could respond I closed my eyes and tapped a line. Looking at the Alpha I could suddenly see the lines of worry, and fear in clear definition on her face. I sighed a moment, and considered her forearm as I wondered why this Alpha kept drudging up feelings of sympathy and respect. A spark of inspiration struck and I quickly drew my mark on her arm.

It was a black dandelion, my pack tattoo. It marked Mrs. Sarong an ally of my pack, perhaps this would send the message that she owed no demon. Turn help me.

* * *

I stood in Emily's hospital room. Outside Jenks, Kally, Serena, and Mrs. Sarong's pack stood guard. It would take a rocket launcher and a steel pair of balls to get through that door. Sure I was about to cast some unknown demon curse, with unknown consequences, and a smug, bastard, demon teacher, but I felt as safe a baby in a mother's embrace. I really didn't want to think about how much that had to do with Ivy in the room with me.

I cleared my mind and prepared myself; one of the exercises Al had been cramming down my throat lately was meditation. Apparently he was hoping to curb my insane, impulsive tendencies and keeping me alive long enough to keep his demon ass from getting fried. His words.

Focusng my mind I concentrated on breathing. Carefully I tucked ever stray thought in a closet I had built in my mind. Gently through the door I pushed worries about Hortie, my feelings for Ivy, and even my snarky internal voice. Visualizing the door to the closet I closed it firmly and turned the key in the lock. Al was in my circle and his voice floated to me, "Better, maybe we can increase your life expectancy after all." I simply smiled, satisfied and confident. Al may still be the teacher but he shared the circle with an Alpha and I had appearances to keep.

The demon snorted his amusement and refrained from further comment. Hopefully he was aware of the politics in the room, more than likely he was just indulging me. Turn take it, whatever lesson he had planned for me was going to be a doozy.

Al walked to Emily's bedside and I heard a Were growl from outside the circle.

"Rachel, tell me what you see." I followed my teacher to the bed and looked at the black film pulsating on Emily's chest.

"It's a film, and it's irradescent like an oil spill on asphalt."

"What else?" Al prodded.

"It's pulsing to the rhythm of her heartbeat, and something smells sour, and almost like a swamp."

Al nodded at my assessment and reached to Emily's chest he ran a finger around the edge of the film and gently, to my surprise, lifted it. I jumped when I suddenly found myself staring eye to eye with the oil slick.

I swallowed hard, "It's alive." I said a little unnecessarily.

Al nodded, "It's an intelligent species, part of my world's unique fauna. If it wasn't currently attached to the pup you would see its circular mouth with teeth."

"Like a leech?" I asked wrinkling my nose.

"Like a smart leech my Itchy Witch. Demons call it Hirudin."

A series of muffled squeaks and clicks interrupted the brief silence in the room. "Did it just talk?" I asked the demon.

"No idea." Al answered.

"Turn take it that's nasty." One of Mrs. Sarong's Weres said under his breath.

The demon turned for a moment and said with a smile, "What do you expect? It has its mouth full."

Thank the turn for meditation. Throwing up in front of the Weres would have been very un-alpha like. As it was I saw Mrs. Sarong and Ivy look grim, the other Weres snarled their displeasure.

The demon simply smiled and turned back to me smug.

"How do I remove it?"

Al reached into his pocket and pulled out a glass vial, inside was a sewing needle. The demon removed it and proffered the needle to me.

"The pup is weak, and the Hirudin needs a host to survive."

Ivy snarled and hurled herself at the barrier. Everything stood still for a moment and then the vamp was hurled into the opposite wall.

"Ivy!" I shouted and before I could take a step forward, but a demon hand on my arm stopped me.

"Rachel Mariana Morgan, you have brokered a deal. There is no turning back unless you plan on facing the demon court."

Ivy snarled from the floor, and gingerly began to stand, "You bastard, Rachel is not going to be your familiar."

"Vampire blathering makes me wish I had my powers to at least draw a silencing circle." The demon muttered, which of course was heard by everyone in the room with enhanced hearing.

Ivy's eyes flinted obsidian instantly and her fangs extended. Shit, we did not need violence escalating in Emily's hospital room of all places. "Ivy, Al cannot claim me in demon court. Not only is he unable to travel right now, his standing is weak at best. Newt would claim me." The mention of Newt stopped Ivy in her tracks, and I could see her warring with herself.

Taking advantage of her distraction I asked Al, "What do I have to do?"

The demon walked me through twisting a curse with my own blood. Ironically enough it was called a welcome curse, meant to call the willing to you. Al had me practice the rune several times until he was satisfied it was perfect and then stepped back from me.

"How do we remove it once I call it to me?" I asked.

"One problem at a time Rachel Mariana Morgan." Al answered.

I heard Ivy's answering growl and I stepped forward drawing a second circle around myself and Emily. Calling on a ley line I twisted the curse. At first nothing happened, and then gently I watched the Hirudin ripple on Emily's chest. I opened my mouth to ask Al a question when the giant leech hurtled at my chest.

The sensation of molten metal running through my veins stole my breath. It was ten times worse than when Al had made me his familiar and forced ley line energy through me. All I knew was pain, and all I could hear was the sound of my own scream in my ears.

Dimly I heard voices, and felt someone holding my hand. The rest of my senses began to return, but not before my stomach turned violently and I began to retch up everything I had ever eaten.

Gentle hands held my hair away from my face and someone wiped my mouth clean. I was pulled into someone's lap and rocked until I slipped into slumber again.

* * *

I awoke again to clear vision and felt slightly queasy. I felt disorientated for a moment when I sat up slowly, but when the world stopped spinning I realized I was in Al's lap.

The shock on my face must have shown because Al looked disgusted when he said, "Trust me Rachel Mariana Morgan, this was not my idea. Who knew teaching would be so disgustingly mushy?"

I would have responded with something scathing but at that moment I glanced down and came eye to eye with the Hirudin now attached to my chest. The nausea returned, and I closed my eyes until it had subsided. One problem at a time.

"Please refrain from vomiting again my Itchy Witch, I would hate to have to change into one of those backless hospital gowns."

"Did you just make a pun?" I asked the demon, maybe I was suffering from head trauma.

Al ignored my question.

"Rachel, are you okay? Please take down the circle." Ivy's frantic voice came through my circle. I focused my attention on that, if I could just take down the circle maybe Ivy would make the crazy go away.

"Al?"

"Yes, yes my Itchy Witch. Off to rescue your vampire from pacing a hole into the floor." As the demon gently moved me off his lap I tugged on his sleeve. "Emily?" I asked.

"The Were healing ability is already taking over, amazingly Hirudin saliva is extremely clean. It acts as a disinfectant. The pup will be fine, though possibly sporting a handsome scar." Al answered.

The demon pushed his toe through the circle breaking the line. Ivy raced to my side and Mrs. Sarong to Emily's. The vampire gathered me up ignoring the Hirudin on my chest. As we passed Mrs. Sarong's Weres I heard one speak under his breath, "Demon's pet."

Something deep inside me recoiled at the hate in his tone. Emily was safe, I now sported a giant leech on my chest, and had endured one of the most painful curse twists I had ever performed.

Al walked by me, and I saw him pause to stare at the Were until he withered under the demon's gaze. When Al turned back to me our eyes locked and I realized the lesson he had planned for me today.

* * *

**OMG! I am alive, and I still write :D**

**Okay, I am dying to find out your interpretation on the lesson Al wanted to teach Rachel, please tell me in the comments! As for all of you sending me sweet notes, and offering cookies, thank you for checking in. I finally hunted down the notebook with my story notes. Life also ran away with me for a bit but I enjoyed escaping to Starbucks to work on this story and take a breather from it all.**

**As always, thank you for reading...it really does make my day to see new people following my story and reading your comments.**


	16. Chapter 16

_**Title:**__ Life's a Witch and then you Die  
__**Author:**__ AdventureLucky7  
__**Fandom:**__ The Hollows  
__**Pairing:**__ Rachel/Ivy (Seriously I will get there, it's just going to take a bit…)  
__**Rating:**__ Mature, for language so far  
__**Disclaimer:**_ _The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story. _

_**Summary: **__What happens when Rynn Cormel forces Rachel to find answers, and she discovers answers to questions she wasn't even asking? Rachel/Ivy, Ivy/Rachel, Ravy_

I wish I could say I left the hospital with my head held high, and an appropriate "Fuck you" attitude for the Weres. I had gone out of my way to protect the dignity of their Alpha, even after nearly being attacked in the park. Never mind I was a witch, who they had only grudgingly accepted as an Alpha when I had rebuffed all attempts at being usurped. Never mind their pack had gone out of their way to remove ever single defensive mechanism I had as a witch to ensure they could trounce me in unfair fights. I had played by their rules, I had come to their aid, and in the end when they saw what I could do, they turned on me again in disgust.

Fucking bastards. Whoever thinks prejudice is dead lives under a rock, in their mother's basement with a fucking blindfold, and a pair of ear muffs.

All of which I would have tried to articulate if I hadn't collapsed onto Serena the moment I had left the hospital room. Later Kally told me that Serena had gently carried me tucked into her chest while Ivy cleared a path through the curious wolves waiting outside Emily's hospital room. From what I gathered clearing a path involved Weres being thrown through the air, but who am I to judge Ivy's methods? Besides, some part of me fully enjoyed having my honor defended.

To be honest my body was completely tapped out. Between the show I put earlier in the day, the primordial demon leech attached to my chest, and the agony of rescuing Emily, I was in desperate need of a nap or twelve.

When I first woke it took several moments to realize that I was staring at the Church sanctuary ceiling. Once I realized where I was I began to take stock of any potential injuries. Flexing my toes, then fingers, then limbs, I slowly took status of my body. Nothing more than a few minor bruises to be found. Taking a deep breath I gathered my reserves to look under my shirt. To my utter relief the demon leech was gone, the only thing left in its place was a honest to God, giant hickey. "Jinx's is going to have a field day," I muttered to myself.

Slowly I leveraged myself to a seating position and suddenly came face to face with a furry, Were snout. Serena had been keeping guard over me, and based on the tail wagging and excited effort to get in my lap, was very glad to see me awake. I made room for the Were on the couch, taking comfort in her warm presence. The effort of sitting up had tapped my reserves for the moment, so I was content to enjoy the peace of the Church, and my friend next to me.

"Where is everyone else?" I asked Serena.

The Were's tongue lolled out for a moment, and then she made a series of excited, high pitch, yips. Kally and David barreled into the Sanctuary, a few pixies followed closely behind. Everyone was talking excitedly and I received a few enthusiastic hugs that my bruises protested. I smiled in spite of everything, glad to be home. The Were rejection had hurt more than I expected and it seemed as if my body and spirit could use a little TLC.

Keasely came into the room carrying a tray with a bowl of soup and crackers. I looked at him questioningly.

"Ivy and Jenks are out hunting Hortie, Ivy is working through her vampire network. The demon is in the kitchen reading through some defensive spell books." Keasely answered my unasked question.

Al was preparing lessons no doubt, and after Hortie's last attack I needed to start cramming every powerful, defensive spell I could into my memory. I made a move to get off the couch; my intention was to eat and study at the same time. Hortie had a head start on me and I needed to close the gap.

My momentum off the couch was halted abruptly when Serena hopped in my lap, and knocked me back to a sitting position. The Were looked at me and made a very unhappy, grunting noise. My friend whined and gave me the saddest puppy dog eyes I have ever seen. Keasely chuckled and said, "You are on bed rest for a few days by order of Ivy, David, and the Demon. You're tapped out my dear."

I made a face at the Warlock, and was about to protest when I heard Al's voice from the kitchen. "You can either rest willingly or Keasely will brew you a potion to knock you out for three days. Your choice my Itchy Witch." In answer I held out my hands to accept the tray with soup, and placed it in my lap once Serena had moved.

I made it through a day and a half of forced rest on the couch. The pixies and I watched all of our Disney movies. I refused to watch Aladdin again, even if the pixies mimicking the flying carpet scene was hilarious.

It would be a few more days before my energy was completely back, but I was able to talk Ivy into letting me work in the garden for a little while. I had turned over every event of the last few days in my mind while I worked, hoping that I had missed something that would lead me to Hortie. Nothing stuck out, nothing was out of the ordinary, and I decided to let Ivy's network work its magic.

Heading to the bathroom I stopped in the kitchen to check up on my demon teacher. Al just scowled at the interruption, and told me to rest up so I wouldn't whine during the lessons he had planned. All of this left me with one big, fat, zero when it came to having something to do.

Unless…

Reversing my direction I headed to Ivy's bedroom, time to do some vampire book perusing. If you can't solve a problem, might as well work on a different puzzle. The books were piled in the far corner of the room, headed that way I passed an old, cracked aquarium. Inside Ivy had rigged up a system that warmed water to the swamp temperature, and I looked at the demon leech floating inside for a moment. The little bastard blew bubbles at me; Al said it was his way of greeting lunch. I shuddered and headed to the mountain of books.

Taking stock, I decided to start with the more academic books, I could focus on the dirty, romance novel ones later. Grabbing several books I headed back to the sanctuary where Kally was waiting for me. Serena and Kally were switching off guard duty every few hours. The only place they left me by myself was in the garden, and that's only because nothing messes with an army of pixies.

Since I found myself with nothing to do, it was time to dig into the vampire books. My goal this evening was to cross reference all the sources Rynn had sent over regarding the Scion bond. My hope was the better I understood vampire bonds, the better I could understand what was going on with Ivy's aura and my own.

Hopefully I could send updates through Ivy, rather than suffer through another dinner with her Vampire Master. Looking back, that dinner had started this entire fiasco. I would blame Rynn Cormel for this entire mess if I wasn't so worried about him eating me.

Handing the Were a few of the books I was carrying, I grinned and said, "Research time."

An hour later I was ready to deem Kally the best research partner of my life. The Were had an extremely organized mind I discovered, and apparently had been a top notch lawyer before she was turned.

Several hours later I was ready to deem Kally nuclear level OCD, no wonder she and Ivy got along so well. The Were had only tolerated comparing notes haphazardly, as we stumbled on interesting passages, for about 20 minutes. Serena was quickly commandeered for a supply run, and the next thing I knew I had two Weres, three white boards, and pixie children zipping around with neon post-it notes like a living, breathing kaleidoscope.

There were several patterns that emerged from the books. While I hadn't planned on researching the shadow bond, Kally insisted we needed to understand all bonds. Shadows as I discovered really were walking refrigerators. The vampires met their basic health requirements, including food, shelter and medical needs, only because shadows were a necessity in their world. Keep the food supply healthy, keep the vampires healthy. The only bond that occurred was because Shadows were addicted to vampire blood. Kally marked through the word Shadow on her white board, now content that category held no useful information for us.

The second kind of vampire bond was the one between mates. It could occur between living vampires, and humans, or between two living vampires. Once a vampire became undead the bond was sniffed out, the authors of three of our books surmised that the mate bond was linked to the soul. Once a vampire lost their soul they would be unable to maintain or form a mate bond with anyone. There was still no mention of merging our auras, the mate bond seemed to rely heavily on the primal instincts of the vampire.

The best we could tell it's why the mingling of scents was so powerful for the vampire, and why their jealousy could have some wicked repercussions. Anything that threatened a vampire's mate or their bond with their mate triggered a powerful defensive instinct.

"This kind of reminds me of some of the discussions we have had with David and Were instincts around mates." Kally said.

"Minus the need to drink each other's blood, based on Ferguson's book it's one of the ways vampires renew the bond with their mates." Serena answered

"The only thing I can't figure out is obviously the vampire has to drink from someone other than their mate to survive. So does the vampire form a bond with everyone they drink from, and if so is it different from their mate bond?" I asked.

"Good question," Kally said, and wrote it down on a lime green post it note, which she then handed to a pixy child zipping by. The Were had deemed one of the sanctuary walls as the question wall, where the pixy child flew to and deposited the sticky note. We would have to pick Ivy's brain at some point; she would hopefully be able to help us fill in the gaps.

Serena tapped a pin to her chin, and asked, "So what makes a Scion Bond so different?"

"Maybe it's like a super mate bond?" I surmised.

"Super mate?" Kally asked skeptical.

"It's like Super Man, but without the tights," Serena snickered.

I shot the Were a dirty look.

"and no theme song," Kally supplied not-so-helpfully

I shot Kally a dirty look as well.

Serena began to hum the Super Man theme song and I knew it was time to take a break. There was a good chance we were all high on marker fumes and sticky note adhesive.

"Okay, maybe it's time for a break. Until Ivy gets back and helps we aren't going to get much farther." I suggested, secretly hoping all we needed was clean air.

"You need Ivy's help with what?" came a velvety, smoky voice my hormones knew by heart.

Both Weres jumped three feet in the air and Serena threw a throw pillow at Ivy's head. The vampire snagged it neatly in mid-air, laughing.

Ivy looked intensely curious as she took in the chaos of the room where we had been doing our research for most of the day. Neatly dodging a pixy child trying to tag her with a sticky note, Ivy glanced at our whiteboards and made her way to the question wall.

"A feral bond and a mate bond are the same thing." Ivy said and I jerked for a moment as I processed she was answering our neon questions.

"We don't form a mate bond with everyone we drink blood from. Think of it as the difference between having a one night stand and making love with someone. You form a kind of bond in both situations but those bonds couldn't be more different."

The vampire answered every question she came across, and it was illuminating how self aware Ivy was in terms of her kind. The vampire was like a walking encyclopedia on her kind, and I found listening to her voice far more rewarding then reading dusty tomes.

Ivy hummed to herself for a moment, and placed one long, perfectly shaped finger on the last sticky note. I could practically hear the gears turning in her mind.

"How is a scion bond different?" Ivy whispered to herself.

The vampire grabbed a cushion and headed to the Weres and I sat. Gracefully the vampire sank down and closed her eyes, tilting her head a moment she murmured, "It's hard to explain unless you have been a Scion." I didn't say a word, giving Ivy a moment to search for the answer.

"A Scion bond isn't mutually exclusive from a mate bond. A vampire is able to form both with the same person, and it is more the norm than not. The most obvious difference is that a Scion bond will survive a vampire's first death whereas a mate bond does not."

Serena had leaned in, intently listening to the vampire. "It's deeper than a mate bond, something that exists at a different level than just our instincts.

Kally piped up, "Like a soul mate?"

Ivy paused, considering the questions carefully, "Do you know how sometimes when you are speaking to someone who is bilingual and they come across a word in their language that doesn't quite translate to English? That's kind of how I feel."

The vampire continued, "In a way it is like what the humans call a soul mate, in that a Scion bond is very close and you trust the other person explicitly. The difference is that both individuals are nearly empathetic to the other. With Piscary I could tell his moods without being able to see or hear him, and vice versa. There is also a power transfer that occurs, for example a non-vampire Scion becomes faster, stronger, and better able to see in the dark"

I noticed Kally and Serena had instinctively scooted closer to Ivy, picking up on the vampire's distress in telling this story. Ivy took a deep breath, "Do you know when a woman is abused by her partner in a relationship, and everyone asks why she didn't just leave? It's because the abuser has gained emotional control of her, debased her to the point that she feels she can't leave the abuser. That is the closest equivalent I compare to the Scion bond I had with Piscary."

Ivy looked at me, her pupils expanding only slightly, "A true Scion bond isn't about control; it's about utter and complete trust. Being empathetically linked to someone means you're totally exposed to the other person, there is no hiding. It is scary as hell, and from what I am told, also freeing. To know your Scion sees you completely, and they still choose to stay. Is there anything more precious to a vampire than trust? Can you imagine what that level of trust and acceptance means to us?" The last part was said self-mockingly; for a moment Ivy's wounds and pain were laid out bare for all of us to see.

There was a pregnant pause in the room, none of knew what to do with Ivy's soul bared for all of us to see. The Weres looked at me for a moment and Kally tilted her head to Serena to indicate they should leave. Both Were's wrapped Ivy in a strong bear hug, as if they could drive away her pain by sheer force of will. Serena kissed the vampire's forehead and the Weres left the room.

I considered Ivy for just a moment, the vampire refused to meet my eyes, and I tapped down my anger for another time. Piscary's spirit wouldn't intrude in this moment, and I could rage at him and the atrocities he committed against my Ivy another time. For now there really was only one thing I could do, I scooted closer to Ivy, opened my arms wide, and engulfed her in a hug. Ivy was rigid at first, her body instinctually resisting me, to protect me from her instincts and what would happen if our scents mixed.

"Shhhhhh, I am not going anywhere." I said softly, and I began to rock Ivy gently as I felt her tears soak my shirt.

* * *

****Waves shyly****

**Hi guys, long time no write. I won't bother with excuses but I found this chapter on my computer and felt inspired to finish this story. The reality is I haven't picked a KH book since I stopped writing here. The chances of Ivy/Rachel pairing are super slim , and I have feeling I would end up being nothing but extremely frustrated.**

**Sooo, please excuse any inconsistencies, and feel free to point out any big misses on this story vs. KH's tale. **

**A big thanks to everyone who has continued to follow this story, and provide comments. You were a big part of me toying with picking up this story again.**

**Happy reading.**


	17. Chapter 17

_Title: Life's a Witch and then you Die_

_Author: AdventureLucky7_

_Fandom: The Hollows_

_Pairing: Rachel/Ivy (Seriously I will get there, it's just going to take a bit…)_

_Rating: Mature, for language so far_

_Disclaimer: The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story. _

_Summary: What happens when Rynn Cormel forces Rachel to find answers, and she discovers answers to questions she wasn't even asking? Rachel/Ivy, Ivy/Rachel, Ravy_

It would be nice to say that after the moment in the sanctuary that Ivy and I had our happy ending. The thing is though, our life is just not that simple, and in fact I don't think anyone's life is that simple. There was still a homicidal proto-demon on the loose, a demon teacher to get back to the ever after, and I am sure I still had someone to piss off in Cincy. So I decided as I held a sleeping Ivy in my arms, her tears already drying on my shirt, that I would deal with the future as it came. For just a moment, this moment, I wanted to hold my love and watch her sleep.

* * *

Ivy awoke slowly, stretching gently and deliciously against me like a cat in a sunbeam. I chuckled internally as I felt Ivy's chest vibrate, in something akin to a purr, and wondered if vampires are offended by how closely they resemble house cats. Maybe I should ask one of the pixies to put that on the question wall for Ivy.

My thoughts were interrupted by the sight of my favorite cinnamon eyes staring at me, waiting for my reaction. _Oh Ivy, _I thought, _always waiting for the bottom to fall out aren't you my love? _In Ivy's defense, the bottom had fallen out many times before. Time for some for some Ivy hunting.

"Hi." I said. _Oh goody, _my internal voice said, _back to one word? _Hush I thought…

The vampire smiled, easily picking up on how relaxed I was with her in my arms. "Hi." Ivy responded.

I tilted my head, looking at my love, enjoying the moment of closeness while I carefully considered my next move. I ran my fingers through Ivy's hair lovingly, taking things slow, while the vampire woke up completely. The rumbling in Ivy's chest grew louder as I scratched the hair at the base of her neck, the vampire's eyes drooping just a bit.

It must have been all the Disney movies with the Pixie horde or something but my internal voice began humming _Kiss the Girl_ from The Little Mermaid. I smiled at the vampire, shifted my weight just a bit and leaned down, my lips hovering over Ivy's.

"May I have this?" I asked.

Ivy's eyes widened a moment at my question, and I mentally gave myself a high five for all the vampire, dating research I had been doing. It's rare for a non-vampire to ask a vampire for permission, think of it as the equivalent of putting a jacket on a mud puddle for a lady to walk across; Chivalrous, generally over the top, and ridiculously romantic.

"Yes." Ivy answered breathlessly, and I kissed her, marveling at how soft her lips were on my own. My love arched a bit, and dug her hands in my hair, deepening the kiss. I started gently, wanting to map every bit of Ivy's lips to my memory, pouring all the tenderness and love I could into our kisses. It wasn't until we needed to breathe that we paused, and I put my forehead to Ivy's. I smiled, and looked into those cinnamon eyes that I loved so much, not a fleck of ebony was anywhere to be seen. Ivy smiled back at me and hummed, and I ran my fingers across her cheekbones and jawline.

We kissed again and everywhere her body touched mine seemed to be electrified. My hormones quickly took control and I found myself pinning Ivy to the floor with the weight of my body. My hands roamed the firmness of Ivy's stomach, and I found myself desperate to touch skin. I was quickly working my hands under Ivy's shirt when I found my hands gently restrained from their goal.

"You're still weak," Ivy informed me, and she had the worried crease in her forehead.

"Totally, 100% fine, give me back my hands and I will prove it to you." I answered cheekily, complete with an eyebrow wiggle for effect.

The vampire roared with laughter until I saw her eyes water, and I found myself enveloped in a hug. The vampire kissed me again, and I felt a little giddy. Making Ivy laugh had always been one of my favorite activities, and I relished the joy I felt emanating from my vampire. It almost made me forget how close I had gotten to touching skin, almost.

Ivy kissed me one more time and then said semi-seriously, "You still need time to recover Rachel, and I want privacy before we get…um…more intimate." Ivy blushed at the last statement and cleared her throat self-consciously. Ivy's nervousness made my heart melt a little, and I found myself completely endeared by this shy side of my vampire.

So, while I found myself a little disappointed at the lack of skin contact we were currently sharing, I understood what Ivy was asking for and answered, "I agree, the church is a little crowded and everyone's hearing is a little too good." I said.

Ivy blushed again, and found something interesting to look at on the ceiling. Ivy's shyness led me to wonder just how loud she was in bed. _Maybe she is a screamer _the voice in my head said. Apparently my thoughts were betrayed by my scent, because when Ivy looked at me again her irises had begun to expand.

"Oooookay, must think about something else before we both need a cold shower." I said, and got off the vampire to give us a little space while I calmed my hormones

"Rachel…" I turned at the sound of Ivy's voice having gone serious.

"Yes?" I asked.

"I know you have been doing a lot of research on vampire bonding, but are you really comfortable with this? With everything? I can't go half way anymore, and I can't separate blood and sex." The vampire had her bottom lip caught by her teeth, and I saw the tips of her canines showing.

"I trust you completely Ivy, and when we are ready I want all of you. That includes the vampire side of you." I answered.

The vampire looked a little stunned at that revelation, in truth that made two of us. I hadn't really thought about Ivy biting me, but when she asked me, with cautious hope in her voice, I realized that I hadn't thought of it because I didn't care. Ivy accepted all the crazy that came with me being a proto demon, including the crazy ass demon teacher. My reality is that Ivy is a vampire, and she needs blood in order to be happy and whole.

"Ivy, what happens when you claim the bite on my neck?" I asked, out of the blue. It was the one kind of bonding we hadn't discussed yet.

Ivy's first response was licking her lips and a grin, which made me raise my eyebrows. "When we share blood you will begin to adopt some of my abilities, though to a much lesser degree than a scion bond. For lack of any better way to explain it, a claimed neck is claimed territory. No other vampire would dare touch you."

"You're marking me as territory?" I asked, with a raised eyebrow.

"No Rachel, I am marking you as mine. Just as taking my blood marks me as yours." The vampire answered soothingly.

Okay, so we belonged to each other. I could live with that. I narrowed my eyes when a thought popped into my head, "Is anyone else marked as yours?"

I was scooped up into another hug, and it took me a moment to realize that the shaking sensation I felt was Ivy laughing. I pushed away from her, "What?" I asked mildly offended.

"No Rachel, I haven't marked anyone else."

"Why are you laughing?"

"No reason." The vampire smiled.

"I am not jealous." I huffed

"Of course not," Ivy cooed.

"Not jealous" I emphasized by crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"Of course not my witch," I knew Ivy was humoring me, even I knew I was being slightly jealous. I scowled just a little because it was expected, and felt Ivy's smiling lips on my own. I decided that I liked being distracted by Ivy's kisses so I let the matter drop for the moment.

* * *

Dinner that evening was a warm affair, with all of my adopted family at the table. Even Al was on his best behavior, and I found myself unable to stop smiling. I had a feeling the Weres had decided to make the meal something of a celebration, which did an excellent job of soothing many of the hurt places I had after our run in with Were pack at the hospital. My father once said that the only opinions that should matter are the ones of the people that you love. I think my dad was on to something there.

After we finished eating Ivy excused herself, explaining that she and Jenks had a lead to follow on Hortie. While it pained me to be separated from my favorite vampire, I knew that we had to stop letting Hortie be the one to run the show. If we weren't able to be proactive the fight would come to our door eventually.

Before Ivy left she handed me a file on Hortie, it was everything she had been able to dig up on the witch in the last few days. "Better to know the enemy," she said a little grimly. I nodded my agreement, and gave my vampire a good luck kiss.

"Stay safe Ivy." I whispered when we parted.

"I will," Ivy responded.

Watching Ivy and Jenks leave, I found myself heaving a self-pitying sigh that Ivy had to leave. Chuckling at my new found mushiness I headed to the sanctuary to start my Hortie homework.

* * *

**Hi Guys,**

**This chapter ended up being some nice snapshots of Ivy/Rachel. I am still getting my writing groove back so this ended up being a little shorter than I would have liked for a chapter. However, it's nice to give you guys some Ivy/Rachel interaction without too much distraction from anything else crazy hitting the fan. My hope was that it's obvious Rachel is all in for this relationship, and that had to be the message to Ivy as well.**


	18. Chapter 18

_Title: Life's a Witch and then you Die_

_Author: AdventureLucky7_

_Fandom: The Hollows_

_Pairing: Rachel/Ivy (Seriously I will get there, it's just going to take a bit…)_

_Rating: Mature, for language so far_

_Disclaimer: The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story. Finding Nemo belongs Disney, or Pixar, or however that works when they merged._

_Summary: What happens when Rynn Cormel forces Rachel to find answers, and she discovers answers to questions she wasn't even asking? Rachel/Ivy, Ivy/Rachel, Ravy_

Hortie ended up looking nothing like I expected, but that probably had something to do with the fact I pictured her as a troll like woman with blood dripping from her hands (No one could ever accuse me of having no imagination). The reality, however, was that Hortie was a few years younger than myself with blond hair and blue eyes. If her hair had been longer she probably would have looked like a grungier version of an all American cheerleader.

_Books and covers and all that_, the internal voice inside my head reminded me.

I moved past Hortie's picture in the file and began to immerse myself in all the records Ivy had been able to drum up about the black witch. The more I read, the more I found myself pitying the young Hortence, and not just for her name. Apparently Hortie had been born into poverty, to a mother with a serious drug problem and her father unknown. There were several hospital records that catalogued a wealth of abuse including: a broken arm, facial fractures, and a myriad of bruises. By the third visit to the ER, a doctor had notified social services and Hortie had been moved into the foster care system. Ironically, she had bounced back and forth between her mother and foster homes, making me wonder why on Earth her mother had fought for her.

Eventually social services had been called to Grenville residence after Hortie had dialed 911. The ambulance and Social Services arrived to find Hortie's mother dead from a drug overdose, and lying in a pool of her own vomit. I shuddered at the thought of finding a parent in such a state, and I rubbed the bridge of my nose. Life really was so much easier when everything came in black and white…

It was time for a break, any time you start sympathizing with the bad guy it is definitely time for a break. I headed to the kitchen, where I knew Keasley was working on potions. Keasley smiled at me when I entered the kitchen, "How is your research coming along?" I sat down on a kitchen stool and began to softly hit my head on the counter.

"That good?" the ex-IS agent smiled at me gently.

"Keasley, I had no problem hating Hortie. My home was attacked, my deepest secrets revealed to a pack of Werewolves, attacked by Godzilla leech, and I am trying very hard to make sure Al doesn't end up making any of us his eternal slave. This entire nightmare is the direct result of Hortie wanting to have a pissing match with me."

"But?" my friend asked.

I slid the folder of materials to Keasley, and watched him flip through Hortie's file for a moment before I answered, "but I don't know what to do with this information. Did Hortie ever really have a shot at becoming anything other than a monster? If not, do I ride off into the sunset to destroy her or do I try to help her?"

The kitchen was silent for a moment, until Keasley pulled another kitchen stool out and took a seat. "My grandfather was an agent before me, did you know that?"

I shook my head no.

"Some of the best advice he ever gave me was to never forget the victims. It's easy, when you are looking at the cards Hortence was dealt, to focus just on her and to forget those she has hurt. The reality is it is always easier to sympathize with the living, the ones who are still breathing. Your job is to be the voice for the victims, the ones who can't speak or defend themselves."

I sighed, "This was so much easier when I could see Hortie as pure evil, instead of as a person who had to deal with some stuff that no child should ever deal with."

"That's true, and it's the part of the job that will wear on your soul. You know that she twisted a dark demon curse, you smelt it in the sanctuary too."

Keasley was right, and I whispered, "that kind of stench comes from torturing someone, using their pain as energy to fuel the curse."

Keasley finished my unspoken thought from the other night, "whoever they were didn't die quickly or easily."

"Am I wrong for sympathizing with Hortie?" I asked.

"No, my dear, that's one of the many things that separates you from the Horties of this world. The child that Hortie was deserves every ounce of the sympathy you can muster. However, she is no longer a child and somewhere along the line she made a choice."

I sighed again, "I don't think there is anywhere I can put her for her crimes. Jail won't work; she could easily make a deal with a demon and escape again. I shudder at the idea of turning her over to the demons at all, especially if she is like me. Doing that would mean she could enter our world, full demon powers and all, and not have to leave when the sun rises."

"You could bind her to a demon." Al's voice suggested behind me, and I jumped.

I made a face at Al, "After seeing what life was like for Ceri I have no interest in turning anyone over to be a familiar for a demon. I remember the agony when you pulled ley line energy through me, no thanks. I don't think I could sleep at night if I did that."

My demon teacher laughed, "Sooner or later my itchy witch you are going to have to make a decision. Hortie is dangerous, and no one on this side of the line has the power to contain her. Besides, what's a little more smut on your soul? It wouldn't even show up on your aura this time."

This entire situation made me sick to my stomach, and I looked at Keasley for some guidance.

The witch looked warily at the demon before he turned to face me, "Find her first Rachel, and then worry about what to do with her. If you focus too much on the future, especially one that isn't certain, you will be paralyzed into inaction."

"What do you mean a future that isn't certain?" I asked.

Keasley sighed, and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder, "No one knows for sure you will capture Hortie alive, based on the file in front of me I don't expect she will give up without a fight. Focus on surviving the fight first, worry about to do with her later."

I rubbed my face warily, while Keasley's advice made sense I still dreaded the thought that I would have to make a decision about Hortie's fate.

"Where has she been the last two years demon?" Keasley asked Al.

The question pulled me out of my musings to look at Keasley than Al. The demon raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Whatever do you mean grandpa?"

I laughed for a moment, "Really Al? How much older are you than Keasley? I doubt you should be the one throwing out age jokes."

Keasley slid me Hortie's file, "Look Rachel, she has been off the grid for two years. Ivy has all kinds of credit card information, residence, etc and then poof, nothing. It's like Hortie disappeared completely for the last two years."

I looked at the file in front of me, and something odd occurred to me "Do you know what is also interesting Keasley? Hortie has absolutely no hospital files that point to the same blood disease that I had. Either someone is covering up her medical history, or she was never sick to begin with. How did she become a proto-demon?"

Both Keasley, and myself, look directly at the demon.

Al Smiled, "You're getting better my itchy witch; now let's see if you can ask the right questions."

"What's the price for your answers?" I asked the demon, and grew a little apprehensive at his shit eating grin.

"Excellent question Rachel, what are you willing to pay?"

I leaned back in my chair for a moment and thought. "Al, if I go up against Hortie ill prepared, there is a good chance that I will die. If I die there is a good chance your deal with the demon court will be null, are you willing to deal with them?"

The demon looked thoughtful for a moment, and the kitchen was silent as he considered all of his options, "Yes, I am." With that the demon headed out the garden and didn't look back.

Okay, on the plus side I had kept Al from killing or seriously maiming anyone so far. On the downside, when I made my initial agreement to protect Al I forgot to put in a clause that would force him to tell me everything he knew about Hortie. So we could all end up dying because the demon was refusing to share crucial information. Ironically, I think the fact we would all be in mortal danger later rather than sooner meant my negotiation skills had improved.

Keasley, bless him, instead of looking horrified had only looked intrigued when Al had left the kitchen, " You know Rachel, there isn't much that demon would risk another trip to the demon court for. What does Hortie have on him?"

There was only one thing I could think of, if Hortie was a proto-demon that meant there was a good chance she could conceive demon children. I was pretty sure that making demon babies would put Al back in good standing with the demon court.

All of which brought me back to the same question we had asked Al, where had Hortie disappeared to for the last two years?

* * *

Three hours later and I had memorized Hortie's file to the last detail, and I found myself drawn to the garden. There were far too many thoughts ricocheting in my brain and I desperately needed some space to breathe. The pixy children and I began to work on my herb garden; my mother taught me that fresh herbs always make the best potions. It was one part of the garden that I babied more than the pixies did, potions were a witch's life line.

I finished the herb garden and set back on my haunches. I frowned when I looked at the time, wondering where Ivy was. My vampire hadn't been specific when she said she had someone to meet for information, and from experience I knew that informants rarely kept to a neat schedule. Still, it was almost morning and Ivy still hadn't returned which meant I had a completely valid excuse to call. If I was excused of something sappy like just wanting to hear her voice I would deny it.

My frown deepened when my phone call went to Ivy's voicemail. I looked at my phone a moment, and then tried calling Jenks, also no answer. _No need to panic_ I thought, _they may just be in the middle of talking to the informant._

I left a voicemail with Jenks, and sent Ivy a text to call me when she got a chance. I headed to Ivy's room to snuggle with the already sleeping Weres and set my phone to wake me in an hour. If Ivy hadn't called by then I could begin ripping Cincy apart looking for her.

* * *

I woke to Serena shaking me, "Rachel, your phone alarm is going off." The sleepy Were turned over and went back to sleep the moment I turned off the alarm. Stifling a yawn, I check my messages and realized that I hadn't heard from Ivy or from Jenks. Alarm bells went off, and I woke a very grumpy Serena.

"What?" The Were growled, muffled by the pillow she was holding to her head trying to go back to sleep.

"Ivy and Jenks aren't back and they aren't returning my phone calls." I whispered urgently. Serena popped up at this information, wide awake with worry. The Were shook Kally until she woke up and filled her in on what was going on. "Go get David and Keasley, we need to figure out where they went." I told my pack.

I headed to the kitchen, we were going to need some caffeine, and started the coffee pot. Soon the kitchen was filled with Weres, Witches, and a demon. Kally had Ivy's computer up and was digging through email and search history to see what she could find. David was digging through his voicemails to see if Ivy had called recently, and I had just finished a phone call with Glenn, our human FIB counterpart. I had hoped that Ivy might have contacted him, but was out of luck. The detective promised to begin making phone calls to local hospitals to make sure Ivy hadn't been admitted to any of them.

Drumming my fingers on the counter, hoping someone would be able to turn up some information I headed to the front of the church. "Jenga, " I called out. One of Jenk's children flew down to eye level, "can you go get your mom? I need to ask her where your dad went." The pixy nodded and headed off to get his mom. Ivy would have told someone where she was going; my thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a doorbell.

Everyone in the kitchen went completely silent, and I walked back devise a game plan before I opened the door. I motioned for David and Serena to cover the back of the church, they nodded, and silently headed out to cover us in case of an attack. Al and Keasley stayed in the kitchen while Kally and I headed to the front door. I glanced up to the top of the door and saw one of the pixy children give me the hand sign for unknown, but friendly. This hand sign translated to they didn't know the person on the other side of the door, but smelled no danger. Kally moved to the side of the door, ready to pounce if I needed help and I opened the door. Standing on the other side was an Elvis impersonator.

_What the f- _I wondered.

And then Elvis began to sing

"_Well bless my soul_

_What's wrong with me?_

_I'm itching like a man on a fuzzy tree_

_My friends say I'm actin' wild as a bug_

_I'm in love_

_I'm all shook up_

_Uh huh ohh yeah, yeah!_

_Well my hands are shaky and my knees are weak_

_I can't seem to stand on my own two feet_

_Now who do you thank when you have such luck?_

_I'm in love_

_I'm all shook up_

_Uh huh ohh yeah, yeah!_

_Well please don't ask me what's on my mind_

_I'm a little mixed up, but I'm feelin' fine_

_When I'm near the girl that I love best_

_My heart beats so and it scares me to death!_

_She touched my hand what a chill I got_

_Her lips are like a volcano that's hot_

_I'm proud to say she's my buttercup_

_I'm in love_

_I'm all shook up_

_Uh huh ohh yeah, yeah!"_

Elvis threw some confetti in the air, got down on one knee, and swished his mini-cape before handing me a package and heading back to his car. I felt my mouth click shut, and Kally looked from Elvis' retreating back to me, "Was that?"

"A singing telegram in an Elvis costume? Yes." I answered the question before the Were could finish asking it.

"Rachel, your life is so insane you couldn't make this stuff up if you tried." Kally said sounding a little in awe of the crazy I seemed to attract.

"Tell me about it," I muttered.

I had the pixy at the door check out the package, and he gave a thumbs up to tell me that there was no magic or explosives involved. _Who needs a dog to sniff packages when you have pixies_ I thought?

When David and Serena returned to the kitchen I began to open the package, the entire room gasped when inside we found Jenks passed out cold, bound and gagged. There was also a card, with H.L.G embossed on the front. When I turned the card over I saw a splattering of blood, and a hand written note:

_Her lips really are like a volcano_

_I have your love_

_And you're all shook up_

_-HLG_

* * *

**Okay, I know the Elvis impersonator looks similar to jumping the shark but I promise I wanted it to be that nuts. To me it is a sign of two things:**

**1. Hortie is batshit crazy, which is beyond crazy and psychotic.**

**2. Is there a more disrespectful way to rub Rachel's nose into Ivy's kidnapping?**

**I toyed with several different ways of delivering the news to Rachel that Ivy had been kidnapped. Everything I tried didn't have quite the same punch, the same kind of reaction that would make Rachel want blood. On top of that I find my favorite horror stories take something benign, clowns for instance, and make them into the stuff of nightmares. Though, I guess you could make the case that singing telegrams are already the kind of thing nightmares are made of...**


	19. Chapter 19

_Title: Life's a Witch and then you Die_

_Author: AdventureLucky7_

_The HollowsPairing: Rachel/Ivy (Seriously I will get there, it's just going to take a bit…)_

_Rating: Mature, for language so far_

_Disclaimer: The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story._

Summary: What happens when Rynn Cormel forces Rachel to find answers, and she discovers answers to questions she wasn't even asking? Rachel/Ivy, Ivy/Rachel, Ravy

The world spun, and all I was aware of was the sensation of sinking to my knees. Ivy had been kidnapped, by another proto-demon, one who was obviously insane and willing to torture. Grief and panic overwhelmed me as my imagination swirled with what the black witch was capable of. I felt the bile in the back of my throat, and I heaved everything I had eaten previously onto the kitchen floor. I panted and heaved again.

Keasley's voice penetrated the panic I had spiraled into, "Focus Rachel, imagine a tunnel, focus on your vampire. You are worthless to Ivy like this." I willed my breathing to slow, and I fought to find the tunnel Keasley was describing. Instead I began to dry heave, mercifully Serena held a bag to catch anything else my stomach decided to reject. We stayed like that for several minutes, Serena rubbing soothing circles on  
my back when she realized that my stomach was empty

I pushed the bag away and closed my eyes. Keasley was right, panic did Ivy no good. At every turn Hortie and forced me to react to her whatever she had planned. That ended tonight, time to get ahead of things for the first time since this bitch started this mess.

I turned my attention to everyone in the kitchen, we would rescue Ivy, there was no other option. "Kally, go get Matalina, we are going to need her help getting Jenk's free from his bindings and waking him up." My best guess was that Jenks would know exactly where Ivy was being held. My normal MO would be to rush into the situation blindly with my splat gun and my friends. That couldn't be an option, I needed to do something that would catch Hortie off guard.

The demon nodded his acquiescence and began pulling ingredients out of my cupboards. "Al, are you going to only make potions that will distract Hortie?" It occurred to me I still had no idea what the demon's part was in this entire mess, and he had refused to be forthcoming. I couldn't trust the demon not to make something that would end up backfiring on me unless he confirmed it. Al paused a moment, and looked up at me, his goat slit eyes thoughtful, "You're getting better and better my itchy witch. I promise to only make potions that will aid you in retrieving Ivy."

Keasley waved me away when I looked his way, I knew he would oversee reviving Jenks. I hastily scrawled a few list of items on a sheet of paper and handed it to David, "I need those potions from the nearest witch you can get them from." The Were glanced at the list and nodded. Turning to Serena I said, "Grab a few of the older pixy children and make sure we have a watch established. Hortie has been completely unpredictable, we aren't taking any chances she won't come back here"

Without looking back, everyone had their marching orders, I grabbed the phone and headed to the sanctuary to call Rynn Cormel. I had to assume that Hortie knew all my tricks, well if you count blindly rushing into things a trick, and if I was going to surprise her at all I was going to need some help. Besides, I figured you can't get to be a master vampire without several tricks up your undead sleeve.

Less than an hour later I stood in a stranger's kitchen with Rynn Cormel, one of his vampire lieutenants, and Al. All of us and we were all looking intently at a floor plan on a nondescript table.

The blue prints were of a girl's home, a place for human children who were orphaned or were not a good fit for local foster homes. The building had not been occupied in nearly five years, a combination of budget cuts and dwindling church support in the area. Rynn's lieutenant was discussing entry points, again, and I barely suppressed an eye twitch. Apparently anal retentive planning was one of the highlights of vampire psyche. I half expected the gruff, grizzled vamp to pull out rainbow sticky notes and begin color coordinating troop movements.  
The truth is we were all working through our nervous tics, because we were just under two miles from Hortie's hiding place, this girls home she had spent a good part of her teenage years in. Jenks had agreed to scope out the lay of the land, and we were awaiting the pixy's assessment. The reality is that we were going to face a very formidable black witch/proto-demon. While vampire speed was legendary, it also meant that Hortie was probably prepared for a blitz attack.  
I took a deep breath and moved away from the table, I had every inch of the blue prints memorized. This was the most painful wait of my entire life, in a nondescript rental house one of Rynn's vampires owned...knowing that Ivy needed me. Moving outside to the backyard I wrapped my arms around my waist, and tried to ward off a feeling of helplessness. So caught up in my own thoughts I nearly disregarded my scar gently tingling.

"Pheremones won't make me worry less," I murmured softly to the presence behind me.

"Think of it more as me preventing any panic from bubbling up to the surface. We can't afford to have you distracted." Rynn answered as he moved to stand next to me.

"We?" I asked.

The Master Vampire shrugged, "I have every confidence that we will rescue Ivy."  
It shouldn't have, but hearing Rynn say that made some part of me relax just a little. We stood in silence a moment, me absorbing Rynn's assurance and confidence. Turn take the vampire for knowing exactly what I needed to hear.

The silence was interrupted by the Master Vampire clearing his throat, and I smirked at the effort it must have taken to learn mimic human mannerisms.

"There is something else we must discuss Ms. Morgan." My smirk slipped at that.

"If Ivy is as injured as you and your Mr. Jenks fear we must discuss what happens after the rescue." _Are you really surprised? You have seen Ivy injured before, you should have known she would need blood silly witch. My internal voice chastised and I winced._

"Will Ivy need to stay with you for awhile?" I asked.

Rynn made a noncommittal noise, "I wish it were that easy Ms. Morgan but it will ultimately depend on Ivy."

I turned to face the Master Vampire who was looking up at the stars and refused to make eye contact.

"What does that mean?"

"My hope is that Ivy will only require a few days of rest and a few of my camarilla to bring her up to full health."

"And if she needs more?"

"Then we have two options. I can choose which member of my camarilla will sacrifice their life for Ivy's. If she is seriously injured her instinct for self preservation will supersede any control she has over how long she feeds."

"You would do that? Sacrifice someone for Ivy?"

For a moment all of the humanity left Rynn's face and he became unnaturally still, "Yes."

It was a stupid question really. Ivy was the last living heir to the Tamwood line, and her mother is one of the highest ranking undead vampires in Cincy. Rynn would do what was necessary to protect his influence, I now had no doubt of that.

If Ivy killed a member of her camarilla to save her own life I knew she would never forgive herself.

"What is option two?" I whispered, already knowing I wasn't going to like option two.

Rynn turned to make eye contact with me, holding my gaze for a few breaths without blinking, "A vampire has only a few instincts stronger than self preservation, one is preservation of their children, the other is preservation of their Scion."

Turn help me.

The entire time I had known Ivy I had run scared from anything resembling a vampire bond with her. If I had one fear, above everything else, it was losing my independence completely. I remembered Ivy's words about the beauty of the Scion bond, but what flashed through my mind's eye was the night that Piscary had blood raped Ivy. The bastard had stolen her free will, and no matter how I hard I tried I could not shake my terror.

"I can't," I whispered hoarsely.

Rynn Cormel looked back up to the sky for a moment, "I wasn't asking Ms. Morgan, I simply wanted you to be prepared for the aftermath of the rescue."  
"Bullshit." I whispered again.

The corners of Rynn's mouth turned up slightly, and then he turned and began walking back to the house. Just before the Master Vampire walked into the house he turned his head slightly, "I can only help stitch the flesh back together Ms. Morgan, the rest is in your hands." 

**Y'all not much I can say on this chapter except I am glad to get it out and glad to prove I haven't disappeared on you guys.**

**This transition chapter was a beating, thank goodness my love was kind enough to allow me to bounce some ideas off her. She doesn't even ready The Hollows but brainstormed how to move the characters from the Church to Hortie's show down.**

**I am a lucky, lucky author ;)**


	20. Chapter 20

_**Title:**__Life's a Witch and then you Die  
__**Author:**__AdventureLucky7  
__**Fandom:**__The Hollows  
__**Pairing:**__Rachel/Ivy (Seriously I will get there, it's just going to take a bit…)  
__**Rating:**__Mature, for language so far  
__**Disclaimer:**_ _The Hollows characters and universe belong to Kim Harrison, I am just borrowing them for the story._

_**Summary:**__What happens when Rynn Cormel forces Rachel to find answers, and she discovers answers to questions she wasn't even asking? Rachel/Ivy, Ivy/Rachel, Ravy_

I looked up at the sky above me, blinking to clear away the tears that were forming. I felt Jenk's presence before he landed on my shoulder. I swallowed a few times, and tried to find my bearings. With Rynn Cormel's little bombshell I seriously questioned my ability to keep myself together much longer.

"Did you hear all that Jenks?" I whispered to the pixy next to me. I knew we had to debrief; I wanted to get Ivy to safety as quickly as I could. However, I could feel my sanity teetering on a knife's edge. One more crazy announcement, or disaster, and I would end up curled up in a fetal position in the closest corner I could find. Rynn Cormel might be a master manipulator, but he had pushed me to my very most boundaries. The bastard of a Master Vampire had pitted what was my absolute worst fear against Ivy's mental well-being. God help me.

"Yes," the pixy whispered, as if he were acutely aware of how fragile I was in this moment, "and we are going to take this one crisis at a time. First we save Ivy, than we deal with whatever comes next."

"I can't be her Scion. I just can't"

"I know." Jenks said simply. I had no idea if he was placating me, or actually agreed with me. In that moment, it quite honestly didn't matter. Jenks had my back, he was on my side, and dammit we would do this.

The band of terror and panic wrapped around my loosened just a tiny bit, and I took a breath of the fresh air. Jenks had provided a small safe space and it allowed me to bury my terror one more time this evening.

"Let's go rescue Ivy." I said in a voice I knew sounded resolute. _Fake it till you make it_ my inner voice chirped approvingly.

Jenks grinned, and flew off my shoulder, "One crisis at a time." I heard him murmur to himself. Silly Pixy forgets that while my hearing isn't as good as his, I could still easily hear him when he is close. In a far louder voice the Pixy hollered, "Hortie won't know what hit her crazy, witchy ass when we get done with her!"

We headed into the kitchen to debrief the vampires on what Jenks had found.

Ivy was, of course, at the forefront of everyone's mind when Jenks began debriefing the group. Unfortunately, Jenks hadn't been able to see Ivy or what condition she was in. The third floor of the girls home had been completely impenetrable, surrounded by some sort of spell Jenk's was unfamiliar with. Al and I had discussed a few possibilities for what kind of spell Hortie might be using, but we came up with too many possibilities to be comfortable guessing. Al would need to see the spell up close and personal.

* * *

The entire debrief took about fifteen minutes, mostly because the outcome of Jenk's reconnaissance was grim. Every single entrance to the girls home was blocked with several debilitating wards. Anyone who attempted to enter through the front door or windows would find themselves completely immobile, able to think but not move. Our only entrance was a broken window through the basement and I had seen enough horror movies to know that the one open entrance is always a trap.

Hortie had effectively cut off one our ability to use the vampires speed in a blitz attack. _She is gunning for a one on one fight_ my internal voice noted grimly. The question was still why? Why in the turn had Hortie targeted us?

"So, what's the plan?" I asked Rynn, hoping he had something miraculous planned in spite of the bad news we had just received.

The Master Vampire didn't answer me at first; carefully he leaned down and traced the blue print in front of him with one finger. "Mr. Jenks, were the wards only in front of the entrances, meaning did they extend into any of the rooms?"

Jenks shook his head, "The wards only extend a few inches past each entrance, other than that the inside of the house was clear."

"Were you able to sense anything other than wards?" Rynn asked the pixy, straightening up from his study of the blue prints.

The pixy paused for a moment, I could see the wheels turning in his head, "The entire house smells like mold, mildew, and death." Jenk's face grew grim for a moment, "Some really bad stuff happened in that house, but I don't think messing with my sense of smell was done intentionally. I checked each room; I didn't see or sense anything else."

"Why does this seem too easy?" I asked out loud.

Rynn turned to me, "It could be negligence, but I doubt it. Hortie has worked far too hard to force a one on one fight with you to make me think it would be as easy as entering through the basement and making our way to the third floor."

"Maybe the third floor is the real barrier then," I said.

"Perhaps, but what would prevent us from blowing a hole through the floor from the second floor? It's too risky to leave the rest of the house unprotected." the vampire asked thoughtfully.

"Ivy?" I asked.

Rynn nodded, "I think we are going to have to guess that Hortie's hope is to prevent a blitz attack from my kind, and somehow force a confrontation with you."

"Why me?" I muttered darkly.

"Power." Rynn said as if it were the completely obvious.

"Wha-"

"Think about it Ms. Morgan, what do you have that Hortie does not? Power. More specifically you have access to a demon teacher that has the potential to make you the most dangerous creature this side of the line." Rynn explained as he motioned to his lieutenant and we began to make our way to the cars.

"It seems to me that the best way to take that power for herself is to get a demon teacher, and it wouldn't surprise me that some of these extremely dark curses she has been spinning are a way to show her aptitude."

Something inside my brain clicked, and Al's refusal to explain anything about Hortie suddenly made a lot more sense. I wish I could say that I was surprised, but I have always known that Al isn't on anyone's side but his own. Too bad I couldn't prevent the wave of betrayal I felt, again my decisions came back to haunt those that I love.

"You son of a bitch" I growled deep in my throat and swiveled to confront Al.

The demon looked at me a moment and sighed, "I cannot answer your questions but I will simply say that it is not exactly as it seems."

"My best friend is tied up in that Turn take it house, having god knows what done to her. You know what is going on, you could help us save Ivy, and you are fucking standing there telling me not to ask questions" I raged at the demon, completely ready to come to blows. It felt good to channel my helplessness, betrayal, and outright fury at Al.

Al looked completely unaffected by my outburst, "I cannot directly interfere, but that doesn't mean I cannot give indirect assistance."

I completely deflated at Al's retort.

"Close your mouth Rachel Mariana Morgan, it looks far too inviting for various species of flying insects." Al said without any facial expression. I closed my mouth, opened it once to ask a question, realized I had no idea what to ask the demon, and then closed my mouth again.

"If it were me, I wouldn't risk either my current student or a potential student. From what I understand, Rachel is thought to be one of a kind on the other side of the line; any demon would kill for a student of their own." I heard Rynn's voice behind me.

Slowly, as if thinking out loud, the Master Vampire continued, "However, I couldn't possibly give up an opportunity to have two students. It would merely require some novice level negotiation techniques to ensure that the final test of the potential student would not harm my current student."

The demon raised one eyebrow, adjusted the spectacles on his face, and made a non-committal noise.

"It's all what? A final exam for Hortie? See if she can take me out and she earns herself a one way ticket to demon lessons?" I asked, stunned by all the background machinations in my life. I had always prided my independence, and the illusion had just been stripped.

The demon and the vampire ignored me as they began to argue back and forth. Al's eyes began to glow red.

"Don't you dare," Jenks seethed into my ear.

Softly, so the now arguing demon and Master Vampire couldn't hear us, Jenks said, "I can see you shutting down, because your turn take it pride and independence was just called into question."

"Jenks, I –"

"Save it Rachel. None of us are truly independent; it isn't how any of us are built. I rely on you, you rely on me, and right now Ivy is relying on both of us to get her out alive tonight."

"Jenks—"

"I said no damnit! We are going to figure out how to turn this whole blasted thing around on Hortie. We are going to save Ivy. You can deal with your insecurities in the morning. Do you understand me?"

"Yes." I said softly, properly chastised.

"Good. Now pay attention to the pissing contest between the demon and the vampire and let's learn something useful." _Thank God the pixy has his shit together; you're a hot mess _my internal voice taunted. I growled to myself and turned my attention back to the Rynn and Al.

Rynn had begun to expand on several theories about Hortie's strategy, "It is obvious that Hortence is more than willing to stretch magical boundaries into some of the darkest demon curses I have heard of. There are parts of those demon curses, such as torture, that Rachel is simply unwilling and unable to perform."

Al continued to glare at the Master Vampire.

"So I find myself asking the question, if Rachel cannot rely on her allies for added leverage, nor is she willing to perform dark curses, what kind of contest could possibly await us in that home?" Rynn tapped his chin like we are in a turn take college class and he were the brilliant professor.

Instead of answering the Master Vampire, Al passed me and climbed into the nearest car without a sound.

Rynn looked at me, "Ms. Morgan, I can only surmise that this entire exercise has something to do with Ivy and yourself. If I had to guess the deal revolves around incapacitating you without harming you. That puts you and Hortie on equal footing, a dark demon curse would be overkill."

I nodded my head at Rynn's words, but in all honesty I still felt like I was walking into a fight with absolutely no plan and a prayer. The upside of this entire mess is that I have a lot of practice when it came to walking into dangerous situations without a plan.

"One more thing Ms. Morgan," Rynn stopped me with a gentle hand to my shoulder, "Hortie is far too organized and strategic to make me believe that your demon teacher has completely outsmarted her. My best advice is that we must assume she has several tricks left," Rynn said, before entering the second vehicle in our caravan.

Turn take it, I seriously began to doubt my sanity would survive this entire nightmare.

* * *

"Thoughts?" Al said in my ear causing me to jump slightly. We had been studying Hortie's spell that protected the third floor for nearly ten minutes, in silence. Rynn had left his lieutenants at our disposal and headed back Cincinnati. The reality is the situation was far too volatile for the Master Vampire to be physically involved in Ivy's rescue.

I walked around the outside of the spell, gathering my thoughts for a moment, "I don't smell amber which makes me think this isn't a demon curse, but I know it isn't a protective or retaining circle." Al nodded at my assessment; the demon was in full teacher mode.

"Good my Itchy Witch, though not all demon curses will have the amber smell you describe. The more advanced and ingenious curses are designed to prevent the tell-tale odor to throw off someone trying to break the effects. This is one of those curses, and I have to say I am impressed Hortie managed to pull this off"

It took nearly every ounce of self-control I had not to throttle the demon as he managed to forget exactly who he was complimenting.

The demon muttered to himself a few more times, and shook his head, and walked back to me. "The real problem, Rachel Mariana Morgan, is even though I have narrowed it down to a few possible curses, I can't confirm anything without my power…we're going to have to do this the old fashioned way"

Before I could ask what Al meant, the demon had a knife in his hand he must have "borrowed" from the Church, sliced a cut through his palm and placed his hand on the protective barrier. Time stood still for a moment as we all held our collective breaths.

After about fifteen seconds of nothing happening Al dropped his hand, "Just as I suspected."

_That was anti-climactic_ my inner voice muttered to me.

Al explained, "My best guess is this is a Contrarius Foris curse. It is a very, very old curse designed by demons and used in some of our oldest catacombs. It prevents anyone not specifically attuned to the spell from entering specific familial areas," Al explained.

"Why in the turn is Hortie using a graveyard spell?" I asked.

"That's the wrong question my itchy witch, the question you should be asking is how one becomes attuned to the curse. The curse itself is a highly complex endeavor, but attunement takes merely a physical piece of the demon requesting access, and unique incantation by a trained care taker."

I swallowed a few times and took in the new twist Al had just dropped into my lap. I would die a happy witch if I never figured out what part of me had been used to twist this curse.

"You can't go in?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"If my hunch is right none of us can, except you Rachel Mariana Morgan." Al answered.

Jenks was on my shoulder, a very unhappy shade of red coming off of his wings. "You can't go in there Rachel. It's a trap, and you don't have any eyes to see what kind before you step into." The pixy ground out.

"I think part of me knew it would always come down to just the two of us Jenks. There's a good chance that whatever is on the other side won't kill me, just immobilize me in some way," I tried to reassure the pixy.

Jenks made a very unhappy noise, and crossed his arms in front of his chest, "You can't go in there blind, treat this like a hostage situation at the IS. Never send someone in blind to negotiate if it puts them in danger."

"It's Ivy." I said softly, knowing the pixy could not refute the truth in my statement. The pixy grumped one more time, deeply unhappy with the corner Hortie had forced us into.

"Al, is there any way to dispel the curse?" I asked the demon, knowing that while I had to face Hortie blind, it didn't mean that I couldn't have everyone on this side of the curse working on a Plan B.

The demon turned to stare at the barrier, and answered thoughtfully, "there are a few things we might try, even without my powers, but it will take time."

"How long?" I asked.

"I need at least half an hour, I know you left spelling components in the car should we need them. I will also need some of your blood, it would be better fresh but half an hour old will still work." The demon answered.

The vampire lieutenant in the room sent one of his men down to the car to get the components Al would need. While the vampire was gone, I readied my splat gun, and stripped down to my work clothes. I lost the jacket; I would need freedom of movement more than the small amount of protection it would provide. The splat gun was tucked into a holster on my leg; one Ivy had purchased me a few months ago (I blamed Angelina Jolie and Lara Croft for that purchase).

Sitting down on the floor I took a few precious moments to center myself and meditate. I know it sounds insane, but I needed a few moments to myself. If I didn't take the time to compartmentalize the trauma of the last few days we would be in a lot of trouble. Ivy needed a professional runner to rescue her, not her hysterical almost girlfriend.

The reality of the situation was that Hortie had the upper hand going into this situation. The other proto-demon knew my habits far too well. Instinctually I anticipated the splat gun would be Hortie's first target, which is why I had prepared a few additional spell surprises. Around my neck was a pain amulet to prevent shock should I get injured in and a sound dampening amulet in the hope I might be able to catch Hortie by surprise.

My only goal of the evening was to stay alive, and stay conscious long enough for Al to break the barrier. If Al was able to break the third floor barrier it would then be up to Rynn Cormel's vampires to get us out of the girls home as quickly as possible.

I came out of meditation as ready as I could ever hope to be.

* * *

Stepping through the barrier wasn't as easy as I had anticipated. In any Sci-Fi movie I had ever watched, someone takes one step forward and they are on the other side. Getting through the curse reminded me of a foam party I had gone to once, impossible to see anything, and slick as hell. The only thing missing were people having sex in a corner.

After fifteen steps, and a few grumbles about demons and their weird physics defying curses, I practically fell out of the barrier with no warning. I caught myself and crouched down quickly, hoping to reduce the chances Hortie may have seen me.

I scanned the room and froze when I saw my mirror image standing over an unconscious Ivy. The vampire was strapped to a table, completely immobile. I could smell blood but I was too far away to see how extensive the damage to my vampire was.

As I watched Hortie, or who I assumed was Hortie wearing my image, the bitch hummed to herself dangling her hands over a small table next to Ivy. Hortie reached for a wicked looking scalpel and I saw red. Three pops from my splat gun had me smiling, but my satisfaction at nailing the bitch floundered when I saw the spells bounce off her completely.

Hortie stood completely still and then to my horror began to laugh while she cut through Ivy's flesh, "You're late Rachel Mariana Morgan, and I got bored. Thank goodness for your Ivy, she was able to keep me entertained while I waited."

Any control I had when I stepped through the barrier quickly unwound at the sight of Ivy's flesh parting under the scalpel. I charged the witch determined to beat her away from Ivy. I made it within three steps of Hortie when I hit another protective barrier and was thrown backwards by a bolt of electricity.

"Tsk, Tsk Rachel Mariana Morgan. I knew you were impulsive but that is taking it a little far." I wheezed a moment, trying to ease the ache of having the wind knocked out of me. Distantly I heard the voice inside my head congratulate me on the foresight of wearing a pain amulet.

Hortie turned to me, her eyes a little glassy, and I tried not to gag at the site of a crazy version of myself.

"What in the fuck do you want Hortence?" I wheezed.

"Isn't it obvious Rachel Mariana Morgan? I made a bet with a demon." The witch smiled at me, and I tried not to snarl in frustration when I received no further elaboration.

"Care to tell me the rules of this game? I want Ivy, and you want something from me. The faster you explain the sooner this is over," I retorted, and I slowly came to my feet. My only plan at this point was to stall, back up was the only thing that would get me out of this nightmare.

Hortie hummed to herself, putting the red tinged scalpel down and turned to face me. "Did you know that I used to live here?"

"I read your file, this place was shut down after CPS got wind of the kind the abuse the children suffered here." Stall, stall, stall the voice inside my head chanted.

The witch nodded once, "It's true, and you know what I learned here? Those with the power make the rules Rachel Mariana Morgan."

"Is that what this all about? Never being the little guy?" I asked, now on my feet and warily taking stock on the situation. Hortie might have the upper hand but that didn't mean I would go down without a fight.

"Did you know you're famous on the other side of the line Rachel Mariana Morgan? I could be famous too." Hortie answered, the other proto demon began to walk my way.

"I could be more famous though Rachel Mariana Morgan, you know why?"

"Why?" I asked both afraid to know the answer and morbidly curious at the same time.

"I don't mind blood, or pain. I think it's kind of fun when people scream, do you?" Hortie asked looking at me curiously.

"No, no I don't" I said in a slightly higher pitched voice.

The other proto demon paused a moment, and glanced back at Ivy before turning to face me again. I tried not to squirm under Hortence's scrutiny but the silence was making me twitchy. "It's a simple bet made with Al. If I can beat you in a fight, without killing you, he will become my demon teacher."

"Why Al? Why not any other demon?" I asked, I could tell Hortie was winding up the talking portion of the evening pretty soon. I felt sweat trickle down my back as I prayed to every deity I could think of that Al would break through the barrier soon.

Hortie shrugged, "He's handsome."

I could only stare at the witch as if she had lost her mind, even my inner voice was silent.

Changing the subject, Hortie turned towards Ivy again, "Enough talk Rachel Mariana Morgan, I know you're stalling. Let's talk about your vampire love instead, do you know how long Ivy and I have been playing?"

My stomach lurched, and I forced my rising terror down. "No," I answered, my teeth clenched against the bile rising in back of my throat. Any hope of getting Ivy and I out of this mess was beginning to slip. Frantically I tried to guess how much longer it would take for Al to break through the barrier.

"Six hours and twenty two minutes," Hortie stated calmly.

I said nothing. Panic was setting in again.

"Do you know how long I have been wearing your form Rachel Mariana Morgan?" The witch turned to look at me, no doubt wanting to watch my expression.

"No." I whispered blood draining from my face, surely wearing my face was merely a tactic to throw me off my game.

"Six hours and twenty six minutes," Hortie said her face triumphant at the horror that reflected in my expression. For over six hours Ivy had been tortured by someone who looked, sounded, acted, and smelled like me.

"I am very good with knives you know; I have had a lot of practice and some very good teachers. Hurting people is something I am kind of an expert in," Hortie said conversationally, as if she were discussing her favorite hobby.

The witch continued, "The hardest part is holding back, sometimes I get excited and they die too quickly. I was patient with Ivy though, she couldn't die before you got here and I had to bring her to the very edge."

"What did you do?" I asked, my voice was hushed as if I spoke softly enough the nightmare in front of me would go away.

Hortie shrugged her shoulders, as if the answer was inconsequential, "I bled her Rachel Mariana Morgan. I bled so she would let go of the monster she keeps tucked away so carefully."

Numb, I felt absolutely nothing as Hortie explained what she had done to my Ivy. Horror and terror had warred inside me until there was nothing left but numbness.

"Why?" I asked while tears ran down my face unchecked.

"I need a demon teacher Rachel Mariana Morgan, and you are in the way."

The only thing I could do was shut my eyes, trying to block out the reality of the situation I was in. They snapped open again when I heard Hortie step away from Ivy, and towards a dilapidated couch I hadn't noticed before.

"I know it's tempting to run to your vampire love, but the protective ward around Ivy isn't very nice to trespassers."

I stared helplessly as Hortie drew a protective circle around the couch, and then drew a rune I was unfamiliar with at each compass point of the circle. When Hortie was satisfied, she stepped away from the couch and said several words under her breath. I watched as my image bubbled and melted off the witch, I caught a whiff of dead fish as she walked towards Ivy again.

"Now pay attention Rachel Mariana Morgan, the fun is about to begin. I am going to wake Ivy up with the help of some human smelling salts, and once I am comfy in my protective circle I am going to say two words. The first word will release Ivy's and the second will remove the protective ward I have placed on her."

I stared at Hortie blankly, desperately trying to connect the dots.

Hortie tsked at my confused look, "We played for six hours, don't you think Ivy is going to be thirsty Rachel Mariana Morgan?"

My eyes widened. "You can't hurt me, what about your deal with Al?" I asked, desperately trying to find a way out of this trap. If Ivy killed me, regardless of the circumstances, she would never recover. My death was as good as sealing Ivy's fate.

Hortie's laugh trickled through the room, high and slightly girly; it clashed with the ugliness of the room. "You're right Rachel Mariana Morgan, I can't kill you. Ivy will be kind enough to help you warm up before you and I play. I have a bet to win after all."

* * *

**Ack, Hortie's voice/mannerisms are especially difficult to get down. I leaned towards making her more certifiable and less evil genius. On some level she reminds me of the villain Harley Quinn from Batman…but less genius.**

**Regardless, let me know what you think of the latest twist. I can't think of worst nightmare for Ivy than being tortured by "Rachel"**

**I hope this was worth the wait; I refused to spend any more time on transition chapters. You guys have earned the beginning of this show down. Thanks for sticking with me.**


End file.
